PREAMBLE
We the African Union Commission and participants from African countries, including African Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Information, Communication and Technology, representatives of the Diplomatique Community, International Organizations, Civil Society, the Private Sector, and the Academic and Research Communities gathered in Addis Ababa on 17 May 2025.
Recognize the great potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to significantly transform Africa and contribute to the attainment of Agenda 2063 Aspirations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , Reaffirm our commitment to accelerate the implementation of the African Union Continental Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (2024) and request the AU Commission to develop an AI Africa Policy to lay the foundations for a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable Africa’s AI ecosystems where African nations and people can equitably access AI resources and fully benefit from AI-based opportunities.
On AI for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, We:
Emphasize the importance of leveraging AI for Africa socio-economic transformation, developing domestic AI capacity, fostering African-led research and innovation, promoting homegrown AI solutions, and working towards mainstreaming AI in key areas such as the delivery of public services, education, health and agriculture.
Declare AI as a strategic priority for the continent and engage to collaboratively develop the necessary digital infrastructure, high quality datasets, compute capabilities, skills and research capabilities to underpin ethical and responsible AI development for sustainable development and reduction of associated risks to society.
Commit to unleash AI’s vast potential to accelerate the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063 and ensure that AI development and governance are effectively incorporated into Africa's long-term strategic vision for inclusive economic growth, social progress and sustainable development.
On AI Governance and Regulations, We:
Call upon all African countries to formulate AI strategies, policies, laws and regulations based on the provisions of the AU Continental AI Strategy as well as their own national conditions and establish regional and continental cooperation mechanisms to promote expertise sharing and vigorously promote AI empowerment across all sectors and industries.
Underscore the far-reaching impact of AI on African people, societies, economies, labour market, value systems, and their futures and recognize the importance of advancing a multi-tiered and inclusive governance approach of AI and promoting innovative regulations that can ensure safety, security, accountability and transparency in the design, development, deployment and use of AI systems across the continent while safeguarding Africa’s interests and not harming its people.
Underscore the need to conduct on regular basis assessments on AI risks and implications on Africa, review and augment existing legal and regulatory frameworks to adapt them to AI realities, promote agile regulations that can ensure explainability and fairness of AI solutions and put in place appropriate safeguards to protect privacy and personal data of African people.
Advocate for the establishment of a Continental AI Governance Mechanism that is founded in ethical principles, democratic values, cooperation and solidarity, inclusion and diversity, human rights and the rule of law to navigate the complexities of AI-driven transformations and collectively address the multifaceted challenges and opportunities AI presents to us.
On AI Cooperation and Partnerships, We
Recognize that AI is playing a pivotal role in addressing complex issues that transcend borders and require international cooperation across various domains and actors and Call for a more balanced, cohesive, accessible and representative global AI governance landscape.
Recognize the role of the AU Commission to coordinate and lead Africa’s participation in multilateral engagements and recommend the establishment of strategic partnerships on AI and/or Integrate AI as an area of cooperation in exiting partnerships between the AU and other countries and regions.
Commit to mobilizing financial and technical resources to advance AI development, deployment and use in Africa and work towards bridging the technological and digital divides affecting the region.
Resolve to strengthen cooperation in the field of AI within Africa and with global actors and Call for an increasing representation and coordinated African participation in both formal and informal international discussions on the global governance of AI to effectively reflect on African perspectives and enable the continent to become an integral participant in the AI Revolution.
We Commend the African Union Commission, the Government of Ethiopia and the Institute for Security Studies for convening this multistakeholder and multidisciplinary high-level policy dialogue as a relevant platform for open discussion on AI development and governance among key stakeholders and engage to implement the decisions of this dialogue. The conference will be held regularly and the second edition of the high-level conference will be held on the sidelines of the next AU Summit in 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Done in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 17 May 2025.
