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The ministers responsible for education, ICT, the digital economy, emerging technologies, communication and innovation in the countries of East Africa have adopted the Nairobi Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Eastern Africa , at the end of the UNESCO-Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence , held from 24 to 26 June 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Co-organised by UNESCO and the Kenyan government, the theme of the UNESCO-Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI) was ‘‘Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for sustainable development in Eastern Africa: Governance, Ethics, Capacities, and Partnerships’’.

High turnout

A number of key figures attended the EARFAI, including the ministers responsible for education, ICT, the digital economy, emerging technologies, communication, science and innovation and their representatives from Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda, as well as UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences (ADG/SHS), Ms Gabriela Ramos, representing the Director-General of UNESCO.

The Forum was also attended by UNESCO experts, experts in artificial intelligence from East Africa and beyond, academics and researchers, industrialists and partners from various sectors, representatives of civil society, etc. The Forum brought together around 400 face-to-face participants and up to 850 online participants.

EARFAI was structured around three main segments: the Expert Segment, on 24 and 25 June 2024; the Partnerships Forum, on 25 June 2024; and the High-Level Segment, on 26 June 2024. Parallel events (Exhibitions, “Women for Ethical AI” Networking Session; Workshop on AI Kiswahili-English Dictionary - “Inside AI: an algorithmic adventure (Ndani ya AI - Ziara ya Algorithi) were also organised.

During the opening ceremony of the high-level segment, Ms Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO’s ADG/SHS, underlined the timeliness of the organisation of the Forum, particularly in the context of the completion of the first RAM in East Africa by Kenya, and also reinforced the relevance of the African voice in the ongoing negotiations on the Global Digital Compact.

H.E. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission (AUC), welcomed, via video message, UNESCO's support in the development of the AU's continental strategy on AI and highlighted its relevance to the achievement of the AU's Agenda 2063. H.E. (Dr) Ezekiel Machogu, EGH, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Education of Kenya highlighted the critical role AI plays in the education sector and shared the strategies in place in Kenya to harness the power of AI to improve learning, foster innovation and ensure inclusivity.

“UNESCO has been your most important supporter in leveraging the African voices on AI to the global discourse. With the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, we pushed for a global standard on AI – and the outcome represents YOUR collective voice. We are pushing hard for this standard to make it count in all major AI governance processes”.

Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences

"Integrating artificial intelligence into education is not just an opportunity, it's an imperative. As we enter this new era, we must work collaboratively with policy makers, educators, technologists and the wider community to ensure that AI is at the service of quality education."

H.E. (Dr) Ezekiel Machogu, EGH, Minister of Education of Kenya

HE. Peter K. Ngure, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Kenya to UNESCO, presented the  Nairobi Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Eastern Africa ,  before its adoption by consensus and thanked UNESCO for choosing Kenya to host EARFAI, as well as all the panellists for their contributions to the proceedings.

In particular, the Declaration approved the African Union Continental Strategy on Artificial Intelligence, welcomed the implementation of Readiness Assessment Methodology  (RAM) in East Africa and called for the establishment of a coordination mechanism in East Africa to support the implementation of the UNESCO recommendation on the ethics of AI.

In her closing speech, ADG/SHS Gabriela Ramos thanked all those who had contributed to the Forum's success, in particular the Kenyan government.

URL: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-eastern-africa-sub-regional-forum-artificial-intelligence-adoption-nairobi-statement