In a press briefing on September 18, U.S. Department of State officials Dr. Seth Center, Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, and Joy Basu, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs reviewed the US-Nigeria Global Inclusivity and AI: Africa conference which held in Lagos, Nigeria on September 10-11, and the new N100 million AI Fund in partnership with Google.
The conference, which had nearly 400 leaders from 13 countries, discussed the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across the continent. The event aimed to enhance collaboration on AI governance, expand access to AI tools, and explore applications in vital sectors such as agriculture and healthcare.
Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Dr. Seth Center, emphasized the conference’s focus on how AI can accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goals. “Our hope was to connect startups and entrepreneurs to a larger ecosystem of private sector actors while advancing the governance conversation surrounding AI,” he said.
A key outcome of the conference was the announcement of a N100 million AI Fund partnership between Google and Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy aimed at supporting Nigerian startups that focus on innovative AI development.
However, some raised concerns about the impact of the fund. In response, Deputy Assistant Secretary Joy Basu encouraged further exploration of such initiatives, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships for effective AI governance.
“I think a real launchpad for action, is the excitement and optimism around the opportunity to use AI on top of a larger digital revolution to accelerate progress on all of these goals…” she said.
She added that “What’s significant is many of the countries in Africa are developing their own respective national AI strategies right now. There’s an intense focus at the continental level now that there’s an AU AI strategy to try and create interoperable frameworks, aligned governance frameworks that will allow us to innovate.”
Discussions also centered on the application of AI in healthcare, where the potential to reduce costs and improve access was a key focus. “AI offers huge opportunities to transform health care, enabling better access and improved diagnostics,” Dr. Center mentioned. Ensuring necessary infrastructure and connectivity remains a crucial challenge to maximizing these benefits.
The conference addressed significant concerns regarding the ethical implications of AI in Africa. Basu pointed out the importance of preparing populations to navigate the complexities of AI, ensuring they possess critical thinking skills to discern information accurately.
