LONDON, UK – Students and educators from Caribbean Commonwealth countries are to benefit from a multi-million dollar donation that will allow people in the 56-member grouping to befeit from SAS, an integrated software suite for advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics.
A statement from the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat said that a US$10 million donation of training and access to SAS AI software and computing capacity will support the goal of training 10,000 higher education students and educators in artificial intelligence (AI).
The SAS collaboration will initially focus on the Caribbean before expanding to other countries, with the goal of training 10,000 students and educators over five years.
“This supports the Commonwealth Secretariat’s priorities of promoting digital transformation and sustainable development and building a diverse global workforce capable of supporting AI-driven transformation,” the Secretariat said.
It said for over 40 years, SAS has partnered with academic institutions, government organizations and corporations alike to unleash the power of data to improve decisions and transform organizations.
SAS is used at more than 3,000 colleges and universities around the world, and through the company’s Global Academic Programmes, it has university partnerships in Commonwealth countries in every region.
The Secretariat said that the intention is to build a more diverse, global AI workforce by bringing AI software and computing resources to Commonwealth countries.
It said the donation includes AI capabilities and content that will not only help higher education students learn how to use AI but also how to do so responsibly.
The project is an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth AI Consortium (CAIC), which aims to build technological capacity with an emphasis on small states and young people.
“Higher education students and educators in Commonwealth countries will have free access to SAS® Viya® for Learners. SAS Viya is a comprehensive, cloud-native platform that provides robust capabilities for data analytics, machine learning and AI. It is used by thousands of organizations in industries like banking, education, government, health care, insurance and retail,” the Secretariat said.
It said students and educators will also have access to the digital learning environments SAS Skill Builder for Students and the SAS Educator Portal.
“These platforms offer digital courses, certification programmes, and hands-on learning opportunities designed to build and validate analytics and AI skills. Additionally, the Educator Portal includes teaching materials that make it easy to integrate analytics content into curricula. ”
Senior Director of AI, Trade, Oceans and Natural Resources at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Suresh Yadav, said that the Commonwealth’s postsecondary institutions are also invited to participate in the Curiosity Cup – SAS’s global student data competition – and the SAS Hackathon.
She said these free competitions provide an excellent opportunity for students to apply their analytical skills to real-world problems, collaborate with peers and gain recognition on a global stage.
“In our rapidly evolving digital landscape, we face not just a digital divide, but a critical infrastructure divide. If we fail to address this gap and make essential resources available to our youth, we risk losing an entire generation to technological inequality.
“This isn’t just about access to information; it’s about empowering young minds with the tools to innovate, create, and solve global challenges. If we do this right, we’re not just connecting students to technology – we’re connecting them to limitless possibilities. Our partnership with SAS is a vital step towards ensuring that no young person in the Commonwealth is left behind in the digital revolution.”
According to Statista, the AI market exceeded US$184 billion in 2024 and is projected to increase to mor than US$826 billion by 2030.
“We have spent decades equipping educators with resources and students with the skills they need to seize the hottest jobs in the tech market,” said Sean O’Brien, SAS Senior Vice President, Education.
“Those jobs are now in AI. We are excited to help students change their lives and grow the tech sectors in Commonwealth countries.”