Playbook for National AI Strategy: Africa Edition
April 2024 | Equiano Institute
This playbook serves as a comprehensive guide for African countries to develop national AI strategies, with a particular focus on compute access, diffusion, and capacity building. The guide specifically targets undercapacitated countries in the Horn of Africa, as well as Anglophone and Francophone regions.
Current State
Currently, only about 12 out of 54 African countries have formal AI strategies in place. This playbook aims to bridge this gap by providing a structured approach to developing comprehensive national AI strategies tailored to the unique contexts and needs of African nations.
Playbook Structure
- Introduction and Context
- Current state of AI in the country/region
- Rationale for a national AI strategy
- Global and regional context
- Vision and Strategic Objectives
- Long-term vision for AI adoption
- Key strategic objectives
- Alignment with national development goals
- Foundational Components
- Datasets and data governance
- Talent development and education
- Infrastructure requirements
- Compute Access and Resources
- Special compute zones
- Public-private partnerships
- Regional collaboration models
- Sector-Specific Applications
- Priority sectors for AI implementation
- Use cases and implementation roadmaps
- Partnerships and Collaboration
- International cooperation frameworks
- Regional integration strategies
- Industry-academia collaboration
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Key performance indicators
- Governance mechanisms
- Periodic review processes
Instrumental Capacity
The playbook emphasizes the development of several key capacities necessary for successful AI adoption:
- Talent Capacity: Building a skilled workforce capable of developing, implementing, and maintaining AI systems
- Knowledge Capacity: Fostering research and development in AI and related fields
- Mineral Capacity: Leveraging Africa's natural resources for AI hardware development
- Fabrication Capacity: Developing local manufacturing capabilities for AI components
- Market Capacity: Creating conducive environments for AI startups and businesses
Key Recommendations
- Establishment of special compute zones to facilitate access to AI infrastructure
- Integration of national security considerations in AI strategy development
- Region-specific implementation approaches for Horn of Africa, Anglophone, and Francophone regions
- Development of public-private partnerships to accelerate AI adoption
- Creation of regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with ethical considerations
- Investment in education and training programs to build local AI talent
About the Author
This playbook was developed by Jonas Kgomo and Ram Glomseth as a project of the Equiano Institute, an AI research lab focused on responsible AI adoption in Africa. The institute works to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed in ways that benefit African communities and address local challenges.
"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion." — Ethiopian Proverb