In early April 2026, the DIFA Consultancy team participated in the 4th East African
Community (EAC) Science, Innovation and Technology Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
The EAC AI Alliance was launched at this Summit to advance regional collaboration
on AI development, innovation, and ethical adoption. Represented by our Principal
Consultant, Ikran Ali Abdirahman, DIFA participated in a side event on strengthening
Africa’s voice in AI governance, which contributed to the launch of the Africa AI
Governance Coalition aimed at coordinating Africa’s participation in global AI policy
discussions.
The discussions highlighted Africa’s critical moment in shaping artificial intelligence,
guided by the African Union Continental AI Strategy, over 18 emerging national AI
strategies, and the developing EAC Regional AI Strategy. These frameworks extend
beyond regulation to include talent development, research, innovation, investment,
and sectoral AI adoption, while consistently emphasizing responsible, ethical,
inclusive, and human-centred AI tailored to African contexts. AI governance is
increasingly framed not as a barrier to innovation, but as a foundation for sustainable
and equitable digital transformation.
Despite this strong policy direction, a gap remains between strategy and
implementation across East Africa, with challenges in technical capacity, regulatory
clarity, and institutional readiness. Key priorities include strengthening AI impact
assessment capabilities, expanding AI safety and ethics capacity, investing in local
language AI systems, and promoting regulatory sandboxes and technical standards.
Bridging this gap will require coordinated action among governments, industry,
academia, and development partners, alongside sustained regional and continental
collaboration to ensure AI development is both innovative and responsibly governed
for inclusive benefit.
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