APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Africa needs supportive policies and robust infrastructure to tap the limitless opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to leapfrog its development, experts have said.
The call came at a panel discussion on ‘Fostering prosperity through policies on artificial intelligence in Africa’, on the sidelines of the on-going 56th Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (COM) in Zimbabwe, UNECA said on Monday in a statement.
UNECA said the experts agreed that Artificial Intelligence would present massive development opportunities for Africa if the right policies and infrastructures were in place.
“It was important to have the right policies to regulate the use of AI and also avert its risks, but Africa should not wait to have the regulations in place to embrace the technology,” the statement quoted Ousman Bah, Gambian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, as saying.
According to research presented at the panel discussion, the AI technology has the potential to contribute up to 15.7 trillion U.S. dollars to the global economy by 2030, of which 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars could be generated in Africa, representing a 5.6 per cent increase in the continent’s gross domestic product by 2030.
Fayaz King, Deputy Executive Director at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said necessary strategies had to be in place in Africa to ensure that all approaches to AI are developed and deployed.
King underscored the need to bridge the digital divide in the continent by including marginalized communities in the AI initiatives.
Sandra Makumbirofa, Senior economist, Research ICT Africa, said AI has transformative potential to boost African economies through effective financial inclusion , employment creation and enhanced public service delivery.
However, most of the market value of AI was realized in the United States and China, she said, citing research by UNCTAD. “It was therefore important for African countries to actively participate in global fora to ensure their interests were represented,” Makumbirofa said
Baratang Miya, Chief Executive of Girlhype Coders Academy, said governments should regulate and incentivize stakeholders across AI value chains with focus on small medium scale enterprises to foster innovation and equitable access to AI technologies.
Miya said the African government needs to establish ethical frameworks on the development and deployment of AI through data privacy, security, transparency and accountability in AI systems.
“We really need data that speaks to Africa itself and by doing so Africa can empower its citizens and encourage innovation and efficiency,” Miya said.