Eastern Africa sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence

The Eastern Africa sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI) was held in Nairobi between 24 and 26 June 2024.
EARFAI highlighted the potential of AI for African countries, under the theme ‘‘Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for sustainable development in Eastern Africa: Governance, Ethics, Capacities, and Partnerships’’.
Building on UNESCO's first AI Forum in 2018 in Morocco, it aimed to integrate AI into national African strategies. The EARFAI continued the work of the 2022 Southern African AI Forum in Namibia, which emphasized multi-stakeholder cooperation and ethics. Also inspired by the 2024 Global Forum on AI Ethics in Slovenia, EARFAI promoted the exchange of knowledge among various stakeholders. The EARFAI also advances UNESCO’s Flagship Programme 4 for Priority Africa to harness new and emerging technologies for sustainable development in Africa.
EARFAI 2024 welcomed ministers and government representatives from the sub-region, international AI experts and panellists, high-level personalities, partners from various sectors and stakeholders from academia, industry and civil society. In total, around 500 participants, in person and online, took part in the Forum.
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