Pan-African initiative targets safer, inclusive AI systems
African policymakers, technology experts, and civil society leaders have launched a continent-wide initiative aimed at strengthening ethical oversight of artificial intelligence as governments and businesses accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies across key sectors of the economy. The Policy Innovation Centre, in partnership with the Africa Hub for Innovation & Development and with support from Luminate, unveiled the Pan-African AI Ethics and Governance Fellowship. The programme is designed to build institutional capacity for safer, more inclusive and accountable AI systems across Africa. The initiative comes amid increasing adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in healthcare, agriculture, education, financial services, and public administration across the continent. Organisers said the fellowship seeks to address growing concerns over algorithmic bias, misuse of personal data, weak regulatory oversight, and the exclusion of vulnerable communities from the benefits of AI-driven innovation. The 12-week virtual fellowship will bring together more than 50 mid- and senior-level professionals from government agencies, regulatory institutions, academia, civil society organisations, media, and private sector firms across Africa. Participants are expected to undergo expert-led training sessions, mentorship programmes, and policy labs focused on developing governance tools tailored to African realities. Speaking during the launch, the Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Centre, Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, said the initiative was created to ensure Africa actively shapes the governance and deployment of AI systems rather than merely adopting foreign regulatory models. “This Fellowship is designed to move beyond conversations on AI and focus on building practical governance capacity across African institutions,” Dirisu said. “We are raising the next generation of African leaders who will sit at the intersection of AI system development in Africa and ensure that these systems are inclusive, ethical, and serve the public good.” The fellowship reflects a broader effort among African governments and institutions to balance rapid technological advancement with safeguards that protect citizens from unintended consequences associated with AI systems. Across the continent, policymakers are increasingly confronted with issues relating to automated decision-making, surveillance technologies, misinformation, data ownership, and labour displacement. The Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Hub for Innovation & Development, Dr Kunle Kakanfo, said the programme would also strengthen collaboration among African professionals working on governance challenges in different countries. “The fellowship for us is not just about leadership development in AI ethics and governance; it’s also about making significant connections, cross-country networks, and being able to cross-breed experience,” Kakanfo said. “This fellowship would be a catalytic platform that can help us drive the needed change that we need within AI ethics and governance on the continent.” Speaking at the event, the National Director of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Dr Olubunmi Ajala, described the programme as part of Africa’s strategic response to the rapid growth of AI technologies. “This is a deliberate, organised, and urgent response of Africa to one of the most consequential technological revolutions in human history,” Ajala said. “If we don’t do what we need to do in terms of governance and ethics, the problems will go beyond technology failures, and some of the damages could be colossal.” Participants in the fellowship also described the initiative as an opportunity to bridge the gap between innovation and regulation across Africa’s digital economy. Head of Product at Auto Check Africa, Ayobola Adedayo, said she hoped the programme would deepen understanding of AI governance and encourage more responsible adoption of emerging technologies. A Kenyan technology journalist participating in the fellowship, Carol Odero, noted that debates around AI regulation were becoming increasingly urgent. “I have spent a lot of time with innovators who think that AI should be left to run wild, that it is not something to govern because it is still so new,” she said. “But I would like to show them that there is a different path, and I’m hoping to get that out of the fellowship.” Organisers said the programme would help build a long-term network of African AI governance practitioners capable of influencing policy reforms, strengthening institutional oversight, and promoting equitable AI systems across the continent.
