By Emmanuel Ogbodo
The African Union (AU) is set to hold an executive session in Ghana from July 18 to 19, 2024, to deliberate on the “Continental Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy” and the “African Digital Compact.” This strategy, which was unanimously endorsed by the AU’s ICT and Communications Ministers last month, aims to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation by leveraging new digital technologies across Nigeria and other African countries.
The AU announced this upcoming session via its X page on Tuesday, July 17, 2024, ahead of the final adoption of the strategy. Over 130 African ministers and experts convened virtually from June 11 to 13, 2024, for the AU’s 2nd Extraordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Communication and ICT. This meeting aimed to ignite digital transformation across the continent amidst rapid advancements fueled by AI technology and applications.
The endorsed Continental AI Strategy will guide African countries in harnessing artificial intelligence to meet development aspirations and improve the well-being of their people. Key recommendations of the strategy include:
– Developing Africa-owned AI infrastructure: This involves creating an integrated environment of hardware and software designed specifically for AI and machine learning workloads, facilitating data processing and deployment.
– Establishing guidelines to regulate AI usage across the continent.
– Providing financial support to enhance Africans’ knowledge of AI capabilities and functionalities.
The AU stated on Tuesday that its executive session will deliberate on these new developments before final adoption, aiming to identify key priorities and actions to ensure Africa fully benefits from the opportunities AI offers. The strategy calls for an Africa-owned, people-centred, development-oriented, and inclusive approach to accelerate AI capabilities in infrastructure, talent, datasets, innovation, and partnerships while ensuring adequate safeguards and protection from threats.
“At the conclusion of each Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, a Declaration will be adopted,” the AU noted.
