STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The event, held under the theme “Towards a sustainable development-oriented and ethical use of artificial intelligence” brought together the 9 countries in the UNESCO Southern Africa sub-region to discuss the different dimensions of the applications of AI, its challenges and opportunities and to share best practices in Southern Africa with a view to strengthening cooperation and partnership to promote ethical, equitable, inclusive, and transparent use of AI.

This Forum was the first sub-regional Forum on AI in Africa, following the first UNESCO Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Africa in Benguérir, Morocco, in December 2018 , which called for the organization of sub-regional Forums in Africa to facilitate exchanges, elaboration of strategic frameworks and action plans in line with unique sub-regional and national contexts, in view of an AI Strategy for Africa.

The sub-regional Forum brought together 5 Ministers from the sub-region with more than 540 accredited participants and 700 registered online participants.

The two-day Technical Segment of the Forum was opened by Hon. Dr. Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Namibia. The Segment consisted of forward-looking technical-level debates and discussions that addressed a number of thematic areas relevant for AI development in Southern Africa, such as the status of AI development in Southern Africa, AI Policy Making, UNESCO’s Global Standards on the Ethics of AI, STEM Education, Scientific Research and Skills Development, Capacity Building for Civil Servants in AI, AI and Disaster Risk Reduction, gender equality and the role of youth.

The Forum was officially opened on 8 September 2022 by Rt. Hon. Dr. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia, who shared Namibia’s experience in positioning itself strategically to benefit from Artificial Intelligence, notably through the commissioning of an AI country assessment by the Presidential Task Force on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) established by H.E. Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia. She welcomed the organization of the Forum, calling for the formulation of concrete recommendations for the development of a comprehensive plan for AI in Southern Africa.

Ms Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, representing the Director-General of UNESCO, thanked the Namibian Government’s engagement in hosting the Forum and welcomed Namibia’s role in championing the development of the UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021) and as Chair of the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC). Ms Ramos reiterated UNESCO’s engagement in supporting Member States from Southern Africa in implementing the outcomes of the Forum.

The opening ceremony was followed by a Special Event that focused on the building of national capacities in Africa to harness the power of AI. The event notably featured UNESCO’s global instruments aimed at supporting Member States in implementing the 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. 

Two Ministerial Round Tables were held on the third day focusing on two themes: Visions, Recommendations and Political processes for AI in Africa; and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in AI. The Ministerial sessions brought together 5 Ministers from the sub-region (Ministers from Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Deputy Ministers from South Africa and Malawi). The Ministers were joined by multi-stakeholder partners from Global and Regional Organizations, the private sector, academia and the civil society for the second Round Table on Partnerships.

The Forum concluded with the adoption by consensus of the Windhoek Statement on Artificial Intelligence in Southern Africa by the Ministers. The Statement calls for the strengthening of multistakeholder cooperation in Southern Africa in AI, as envisaged in the SADC-UNESCO Joint Programme of Action 2022-2025, including through the establishment of a Southern African coordination mechanism for the implementation of the UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.

More information:

• Concept Note (EN / FR)
• Programme (EN / FR)
• Forum Website
• Forum Resources (videos, photos, presentations)