Emerging African Dialogues on AI and Development

Amplifying Pan-African Principles and Forging Sub-Regional Strategies

Development actors across Africa, recognising the transformative potential of emerging digital technologies, are actively navigating the ethical and responsible design, application and governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the continent’s sustainable development. In June 2024, continent-wide and regionally specific forums were hosted in alignment with UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. The statements that emerged from these meetings illustrate how stakeholders are setting African priorities while engaging in global platforms shaping the future of AI in development. 

The AI Movement Centre of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), in collaboration with UNESCO, organised the inaugural High-Level Forum on AI focused on "Artificial Intelligence as a Lever for Development in Africa" from June 3 to 5, 2024. Government officials, legal professionals, civil society members and artists including the CEO of the Global Center on AI Governance, Rachel Adams, convened in Rabat, Morocco to examine the state of AI in Africa, and establish African strategic objectives in the global arena. The forum culminated in the Rabat Consensus on Artificial Intelligence, advocating for a sovereign AI path toward catalysing the continent’s economic prosperity while engaging in international collaborations. The call to action upholds three core principles to guide AI in development: to leverage its use in the public sector, develop a common framework for inclusive global governance and ensure ethical and human-rights based development and deployment for Africans’ collective benefit. Acknowledging the risks associated with emerging technologies being predominantly developed outside Africa, the Consensus highlights the need for enhancing capacity and governance mechanisms to design safe AI suitable for diverse contexts.

These dialogues on addressing specific needs were also a primary agenda at the UNESCO-Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence, which took place in Nairobi Kenya from June 24 to June 26, 2024. High-level government officials in East Africa explored how to harness AI across various sectors at national levels and to coordinate efforts within the region. The subsequent Nairobi Statement on AI and Emerging Technologies promotes socio-technologically informed, consultative, Africa-centric governance frameworks and anticipatory policy making approaches. It underscores the need for Africa-based research and innovation that leverages existing tools and Indigenous knowledge to develop context-appropriate AI for sustainable development. Beyond interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaborations within Eastern Africa, the forum echoed experts’ call for international cooperation in Rabat, encouraging a concerted regional position in global digital negotiations. 

The Nairobi Statement offers detailed recommendations for regional stakeholders to determine the impacts, potential opportunities as well as risks of AI, and actively participate in academic and scientific engagements for human centred digital futures. It calls for bridging skills and knowledge gaps for technical and non-technical groups, as well as strengthening the institutional capacity of government, civil society, and private sectors. To foster these innovative ecosystems, the participating officials emphasise the need for robust funding and investment schemes. 

In accordance with the principles of the Rabat Consensus, the Nairobi statement is attentive to ethical considerations, and encourages critical perspectives for the decolonial co-creation of inclusive, culturally relevant AI tools to support educational initiatives. The sub-regional statement addresses the socio-environmental issues, to ensure all Africans can equally benefit from technological advancements while safeguarding their rights to sustainable livelihoods and full enjoyment of freedoms. Considering how digital systems exacerbate the impacts of climate change, it asserts that AI development must be less energy intensive, and should instead be applied toward conservation and regeneration efforts. Additionally, it advocates for gender responsiveness policies, programs, initiatives including data representativeness and supporting international networks to promote AI for empowerment. 

The call to action from the High-Level Forum on AI and comprehensive actionable guidelines outlined by the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Forum both indicate that African stakeholders are eager to embrace AI to advance the continent’s development. Both statements stress that utilising new technologies for common good demands context-informed design and deployment alongside ethical governance mechanisms. These shared objectives manifest as different strategies in accordance with the scope of their respective meetings. The Rabat call for action underlines the importance of creating collective frameworks and amplifying a Pan-African voice on a global stage. Conversely, the Nairobi statement focuses on how to facilitate enabling systems for AI to address national and regional priorities. These contrasting yet complementary perspectives highlight that key actors are not debating whether to use AI in development, but rather analysing how it can be applied for addressing a broad range of issues on the continent while integrating a strong African perspective into global discussion. Ongoing parallel forums are required to balance specific regional priorities and a cohesive Pan-African perspective, guiding efforts to use AI for sustainable development in Africa as outlined in the recently released African Union Continental Strategy on AI for intra-African coordination and cooperation in AI governance.

Author: Selam Abdella