AU Ministers Unanimously Endorse AI Strategy to Drive Digital Transformation Across Africa
- AI Strategy and Digital Compact Endorsement: The AU ICT and Communications Ministers unanimously endorsed the “Continental Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy” and the “African Digital Compact” to accelerate digital transformation across Africa, emphasizing ethical AI use, risk mitigation, and integrating African content in AI governance.
- Focus on Developmental Goals: The AI strategy provides a roadmap for leveraging AI to achieve developmental aspirations in education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, and governance, by fostering human capital development, enhancing research and innovation ecosystems, and building AI-ready regulatory environments.
- Investing in AI Talent: Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid and other leaders emphasized the importance of investing in youth, innovators, and AI researchers to ensure Africa’s success in the global AI arena, promoting AI systems that reflect Africa’s diversity and drive economic growth and social progress in line with AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The African Union (AU) ICT and Communications Ministers have collectively endorsed a “Continental Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy” and the “African Digital Compact” to expedite Africa’s digital transformation by leveraging new digital technologies in Nigeria and other African nations.
This announcement was made in a statement on the AU’s official website on Monday, June 17, 2024.
From June 11 to 13, 2024, over 130 African ministers and experts convened virtually for the AU’s 2nd Extraordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Communication and ICT. The meeting’s focus was to spark digital transformation across the continent amidst the rapid advancements in AI technology and applications.
Continental Strategy
The statement outlined that the Continental AI Strategy provides a framework for African countries to utilize artificial intelligence to achieve the continent’s developmental goals and improve the well-being of its people. The strategy emphasizes the ethical use of AI, mitigating potential risks, exploiting opportunities, and ensuring African content and context are integrated into AI governance structures.
“Identifying key priorities and actions to ensure Africa fully benefits from AI’s vast opportunities, the strategy advocates for an Africa-owned, people-centered, development-oriented, and inclusive approach. This aims to boost AI capabilities in infrastructure, talent, datasets, innovation, and partnerships while safeguarding against threats.”
The strategy sets a roadmap for African countries to harness AI’s potential to achieve developmental goals in education, skills, health, agriculture, infrastructure, peace, security, and good governance. This will be accomplished by developing human capital, strengthening research and innovation ecosystems, and building an AI-ready institutional and regulatory environment to ensure AI benefits the African people.
Africa’s Success in the Global AI Arena
During the ministerial session, Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, emphasized the importance of investing in youth, innovators, computer scientists, data experts, and AI researchers to secure Africa’s success in the global AI arena.
Dr. Abou-Zeid praised the endorsement of the strategy, stating that it ensures Africa’s diversity is reflected in AI systems. “Adapting AI to African realities is crucial. AI systems should reflect our diversity, languages, culture, history, and geographical contexts. By creating an inclusive AI ecosystem and a competitive African AI market adapted to our realities and ambitions, this strategy will provide a common vision and pathway to accelerate responsible AI innovation and adoption in Africa.”
“For Africans, Artificial Intelligence offers tremendous opportunities. It is a driving force for positive transformational change, economic growth, and social progress,” Dr. Abou-Zeid stated.
Ms. Nthati Moorsi, Minister of Information, Communications, Science Technology, and Innovation of the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Chair of the Bureau of the technical committee, highlighted the vast opportunities from AI-enabled systems to promote homegrown solutions. She believes the AI strategy will stimulate economic growth and sustainable development, aligning with the priorities of the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
