POTENTIAL ROLE OF AFRICAN UNION IN DEVELOPMENT OF AI GOVERNANCE ACROSS THE CONTINENT

Joy Wanjiku Njoroge

Abstract


This study addressed the fragmentation of AI governance approaches across Africa and examined the African Union's (AU) potential role in unifying these efforts. Using qualitative document analysis of AU publications and academic literature, the research explored the AU's continental AI governance approach, key initiatives, challenges, and future directions. Findings revealed that the AU made significant progress through initiatives such as the Continental AI Strategy (2024), the African Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (ARCAI), the African Digital Compact, and the AU Data Policy Framework. However, challenges persisted, including regulatory fragmentation among member states and infrastructure disparities. The study discussed the AU's proposed governance mechanisms, including a high-level coordination mechanism on AI and adaptable regulation models, while noting threats from rapid global AI development and widening digital divides. It concluded that the AU's success in AI governance hinged on balancing innovation with ethics, addressing Africa-specific challenges, and fostering collaboration. Key recommendations included accelerating model AI regulation development, prioritizing digital infrastructure initiatives, enhancing ARCAI's role in building local expertise, and strengthening Africa's voice in global AI governance. This research contributes to the literature on AI governance in Africa, offering insights for policymakers on developing uniquely African approaches to inform global discussions.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


AI, AI governance, AI strategies

Full Text:

PDF

References


Addy, A., Nyante, F., Mensah, G. B., & Frimpong, P. O. (2023). AI-augmented governance of the Ghanaian healthcare delivery system: Ethical and privacy issues in patients' medical records, access and retrieval. International Journal of Law Management & Humanities, 6(5), 2066–2091. http://dx.doi.org/10.10000/IJLMH.115984

African Union. (2020). The digital transformation strategy for Africa 2020-2030. https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/38507-doc-dts-english.pdf

African Union. (2024, August 9). Continental artificial intelligence strategy. https://au.int/en/documents/20240809/continental-artificial-intelligence-strategy

African Union. (2024, June 17). African ministers adopt landmark continental artificial intelligence strategy. https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20240617/african-ministers-adopt-landmark-continental-artificial-intelligence-strategy

African Union. (2024, August 28). African Union committed to developing AI capabilities in Africa. https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20240828/african-union-committed-developing-ai-capabilities-africa

African Union. (2024, September 13). Unpacking the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate youth development. https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20240913/unpacking-potential-artificial-intelligence-accelerate-youth-development

African Union. (2024, September 13). Artificial intelligence (AI) for sustainable youth development in Africa: A policy brief. https://au.int/en/documents/20240913/artificial-intelligence-ai-sustainable-youth-development-africa-p-o-l-i-c-y-b-r-i

African Union. (2024). AI for sustainable youth development finalized copy. https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/44080-doc-AI_for_Sustainable_Youth_Development_finalized_copy-1.pdf

Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. Retrieved from https://www.ucg.ac.me/skladiste/blog_609332/objava_105202/fajlovi/Creswell.pdf

Daly, A., Hagendorff, T., Hui, L., Mann, M., Marda, V., Wagner, B., Wang, W. W., & Witteborn, S. (2021). Artificial intelligence, governance and ethics: Global perspectives. In S. Esayas & T. Mahler (Eds.), Regulating artificial intelligence in industry (pp. 182–201). Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Regulating-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Industry/Bielicki/p/book/9781032159652

Dignum, V. (2023). Responsible artificial intelligence: Recommendations and lessons learned. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 1–20). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_9

Eke, D. O., Chintu, S. S., & Wakunuma, K. (2023). Towards shaping the future of responsible AI in Africa. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 21–40). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_8

Eke, D. O., Wakunuma, K., & Akintoye, S. (2023). Introducing responsible AI in Africa. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 41–60). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_1

Gasser, U. (2023). An EU landmark for AI governance. Science, 380(6651), 1203. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adj1627

Hickman, E., & Petrin, M. (2021). Trustworthy AI and corporate governance: The EU's ethics guidelines for trustworthy artificial intelligence from a company law perspective. European Business Organization Law Review, 22, 593–625. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40804-021-00224-0

Kwanya, T. (2023). Working with robots as colleagues: Kenyan perspectives of ethical concerns on possible integration of co-bots in workplaces. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 61–80). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_4

Larsson, S. (2021). AI in the EU: Ethical guidelines as a governance tool. In A. Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, K. Leijon, A. Michalski, & L. Oxelheim (Eds.), The European Union and the technology shift. Palgrave Macmillan.

Mäntymäki, M., Minkkinen, M., Zimmer, M. P., Birkstedt, T., & Viljanen, M. (2023). Designing an AI governance framework: From research-based premises to meta-requirements. In Proceedings of the 31st European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2023). Association for Information Systems. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370155604_Designing_an_AI_governance_framework_From_research-based_premises_to_meta-requirements

Mensah, G. B., Nyante, F., Addy, A., & Frimpong, P. O. (2023). Navigating the fragmented landscape: A clarion call for the consolidation of Ghana's AI governance framework. ResearchGate Preprint. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31296.75526

Nieminen, M., Gotcheva, N., Leikas, J., & Koivisto, R. (2019). Ethical AI for the governance of the society: Challenges and opportunities. In Proceedings of the 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2020). Association for Information Systems. Retrieved from https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2505/paper03.pdf

Okolo, C. T., Aruleba, K., & Obaido, G. (2023). Responsible AI in Africa—Challenges and opportunities. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 81–100). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_3

Robles, P., & Mallinson, D. J. (2023). Catching up with AI: Pushing toward a cohesive governance framework. Politics & Policy, 51(3), 355–372. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12529

Ruttkamp-Bloem, E. (2023). Epistemic just and dynamic AI ethics in Africa. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 101–120). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_2

Stahl, B. C., Leach, T., Oyeniji, O., & Ogoh, G. (2023). AI policy as a response to AI ethics? Addressing ethical issues in the development of AI policies in North Africa. In D. O. Eke, K. Wakunuma, & S. Akintoye (Eds.), Responsible AI in Africa (pp. 121–140). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08215-3_7

Stix, C. (2021). The ghost of AI governance past, present and future: AI governance in the European Union. In J. Bullock & V. Hudson (Eds.), Oxford University Press handbook on AI governance. Oxford University Press.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications. Retrieved from https://study.sagepub.com/yin6e

Zhang, B., & Dafoe, A. (2020). U.S. public opinion on the governance of artificial intelligence. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1912.12835




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v10i4.1822

Copyright (c) 2024 Joy Wanjiku Njoroge

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The research works published in this journal are free to be accessed. They can be shared (copied and redistributed in any medium or format) and\or adapted (remixed, transformed, and built upon the material for any purpose, commercially and\or not commercially) under the following terms: attribution (appropriate credit must be given indicating original authors, research work name and publication name mentioning if changes were made) and without adding additional restrictions (without restricting others from doing anything the actual license permits). Authors retain the full copyright of their published research works and cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the license terms are followed.

Copyright © 2016 - 2023. European Journal Of Social Sciences Studies (ISSN 2501-8590) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and  Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.