Six African states sign global Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable AI
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit held in Paris on 10 and 11 February 2025 concluded with 60 states signing a non-binding Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet, including six African states. (South Africa was also initially listed as a signatory, but has reportedly clarified that its delegation attended as observers and were not in a position to endorse the Statement.)
The Summit, attended by a broad range of stakeholders including world leaders, private sector representatives, civil society organisations, artists, and members of the media, was intended to foster dialogue on promoting inclusivity and safeguarding the public interest amid rapid AI developments.
In its lead up, French President Emmanual Macron noted, “To continue innovating and creating, we need – now – to identify and anticipate the energy issues around large-scale deployment of artificial intelligence and the challenges for the world of work and creativity, and to enable every citizen, every company and every country to access reliable artificial intelligence.”
The Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet is a non-binding set of principles and priorities concerning AI ethics. The list of signatories included six other African states (Djibouti, Kenya, Morocco Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal), as well as the African Union Commission. The United States and United Kingdom have not signed the statement.
The status of AI governance in Africa
The Statement reaffirms the need for signatories to adopt a human-centric approach to AI governance, and calls for states to ensure safety, sustainable development, and human rights are duly considered in AI governance. Although the outcomes of the Statement remain unclear, it does cast attention to the state of AI readiness in the Global South. Africa’s own AI readiness is comparatively low: from a governance perspective, only a few countries on the continent have implemented national AI strategies or policies.
In August 2024, the AU endorsed the Continental AI Strategy, providing guidance on how African states should approach governance. This includes:
- Amending and applying existing laws governing areas AI impacts (such as data protection laws, intellectual property, and antitrust and competition laws)
- The identification of existing regulatory gaps; and
- The development and roll out of risk evaluation mechanisms, including impact assessments for different AI systems.
The Continental AI strategy compliments other governance instruments such as the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (the Malabo Convention), Resolution 473, and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.
Overall, the Statement is a further addition to a foundational set of governance instruments, and the focus should now shift toward more concrete frameworks at the domestic level to enable clear standards for sustainable AI usage.
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