Co-lead by the Center for Law and Innovation, the Global Network of Centers Secretariat had the privilege of supporting the organization of the Africa AI Stakeholders Meeting on Innovative Governance and Capacity Building, held in October 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda.
This Policy Brief and Recommendations are the result of the Stakeholders Meeting. The Meeting was convened by Certa Foundation's Center for Law and Innovation and the Global Network of Centers Secretariat in partnership with Microsoft, Meta, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Smart Africa, International Trade Center, Rwanda ICT Chamber, and the African Leadership University.
This document highlights the urgent need for Africa to proactively shape its AI future by embracing a pan-African approach that fosters collaboration, innovation, and ethical AI development to drive economic growth, job creation, and social inclusion. The meeting identified key challenges, including limited infrastructure, skills gaps, and outdated legal frameworks, which hinder Africa's ability to fully leverage AI's potential. To address these challenges, the brief offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, governments, the private sector, civil society, regulators, industry leaders, and researchers, focusing on strengthening AI governance, fostering innovation, and ensuring that AI technologies are developed and deployed responsibly and ethically for the benefit of all Africans. This brief serves as a call to action for collaborative efforts to unlock AI's transformative power for Africa's sustainable and inclusive development.
The hope for this important document is that it serves as a starting point for collaborations among AI stakeholders in the African continent to blossom.