By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Benin has outlined its
priorities for driving artificial intelligence in Africa during a series of
high-level engagements on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United
Nations General Assembly in New York.
Minister of Digital
Transformation and Innovation, Mahuna Akplogan participated in several meetings
focused on accelerating the development of artificial intelligence on the
African continent, including a ministerial roundtable organised by the African
Union Commission and Google.
The ministerial roundtable
examined structural challenges affecting the development of AI in Africa, with
discussions focusing on access to computing power, data infrastructure, models
for sharing computing resources between states, talent development and the
creation of African datasets for artificial intelligence.
The issues discussed
directly align with Benin’s strategic priorities in artificial intelligence as
the country seeks to strengthen its digital and technological capabilities.
As part of his engagements,
Akplogan also held bilateral discussions with Rwanda’s Minister of Information
and Communication Technologies and Innovation, Paula Ingabire.
The discussions identified
potential areas of cooperation between Benin and Rwanda in AI infrastructure,
research, skills development and the application of artificial intelligence in
sectors including agriculture, health and education.
Akplogan also met with
Aïssata De, Acting Regional Director of the Regional Office for Africa of the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to discuss support for artificial
intelligence projects initiated by Benin and the conditions required to scale
them up.
The minister further
participated in a tripartite meeting with Dr. 'Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister
of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Tatenda Mavetera,
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Postal
Services and Courier Services.
The meeting provided an
opportunity for the three countries to compare their respective approaches to
developing artificial intelligence in Africa, including infrastructure and
computing capacity, technological sovereignty, national innovations and prospects
for cooperation among African states.
Through its participation in
the engagements, Benin reaffirmed its commitment to using artificial
intelligence for the development of the continent while strengthening
cooperation among African countries around technology, infrastructure, skills
and technological sovereignty.
