AI in Africa: Navigating 700 Policies, 42 Guidelines, and 32 Countries’ Efforts

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often hailed as a remedy for numerous challenges in Africa. In Togo, AI assists in directing social funds to the poorest regions, while in Zambia, it helps combat misinformation during elections. However, as with any ‘silver bullet’ technology, solving one issue with AI can inadvertently create new problems.

AI’s application has raised concerns, such as its use in autonomous weapons in Libya and national facial recognition systems in Zimbabwe. Research highlights how AI can perpetuate biases, deepen injustices, and infringe on human rights.

This illustrates the dual nature of AI technologies, which hold vast potential for good but also pose significant risks. Moreover, the use of AI extends beyond democratically elected states to businesses and private actors, primarily based in the global north.

In response, global interest in AI governance has surged. Since 2017, the OECD has reported over 700 AI policy initiatives across 60 countries. In 2019, 42 countries adopted the first intergovernmental AI policy guidelines by the OECD. Notably, only five African countries are OECD members, and none were among the signatories.

Africa’s performance in AI readiness is subpar, according to the Oxford Insights 2021 AI Readiness Index. The region’s average score was 31.61 out of 100, significantly below the global average of 47 out of 100. The report “AI Governance in Africa” explores the current state of AI governance on the continent, examining existing instruments both continentally and domestically. Detailed analysis of these instruments will be included in future reports.

No African country has comprehensive AI legislation, though Mauritius has partial regulations. Thirty countries have data protection laws addressing automated decision-making, four have a national AI strategy, and one has a draft AI policy or white/green paper. Thirteen countries have formed expert commissions or task forces on AI, six of which include AI as a priority in their national development plans, and four of which mention AI partially.

UNESCO’s survey research indicates a wide variation in AI governance instruments across Africa. Key findings include:

Eighteen of 32 countries have national initiatives for AI development.

AI is a priority in the national development plans of 21 of the 32 surveyed countries. Thirteen countries have AI strategies, policies, or legislation to tackle AI challenges. Twelve countries have established AI Centres of Excellence, and three have issued ethical guidelines for AI.

Despite these efforts, AI policy initiatives in Africa are often not publicly available, suggesting either a lack of transparency or, slow progress in developing AI frameworks, or possibly both.

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