Strategy as Governance: Mapping the Governance of AI in Africa

This event is hosted by SCRIPT, the Scottish Research Centre for IP and Technology Law.

About the event
Artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated the attention of African policymakers in recent years. This has been reflected mainly through the adoption of a series of national and continental AI strategies. A common thread in recent policy efforts has been the considerable emphasis given to the opportunities that AI offers in ameliorating Africa’s complex and longstanding socio-economic challenges. With the adoption of AI strategies at the continental and national levels, African policymakers are increasingly turning attention to the imperatives of governing AI risks. Except for a few African states, AI strategies are yet to be translated into legislation or other concrete governance measures. Against this backdrop, this working paper considers the defining features and trajectory of emergent AI governance initiatives in Africa. I argue that the African approach to AI governance remains hype-driven, piecemeal and bereft of long-term goals. Unless the recent deluge of AI strategies is followed by robust governance arrangements, African policymakers risk settling for less compared to their counterparts in other regions.

About the speaker
Dr Kinfe Yilma is a senior lecturer in law and technology at the School of Law, University of Leeds. Before joining Leeds, Kinfe was an associate professor of technology law at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and a teaching fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia. His research interests lie at the intersections of law and technology, including the governance of emerging technologies and digital constitutionalism. He has published extensively in these fields, including more recently The Global Governance of AI (Routledge, 2025).
Location
Quad Teaching Room,
Old College
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