The Pan African Parliament (PAP) hosted a two-day high-level workshop on “Building Parliamentary Capacity for AI Governance and Inclusive Digital Transformation”, with the support of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).
Opening the workshop, PAP President H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira situated the event in its continental and global context, noting that“Artificial intelligence is the in-thing everywhere”, he said, highlighting its transformative potential in healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance, while cautioning against risks such as unemployment, exclusion, and digital colonialism. “We must guard against becoming mere followers of the West in AI. We must own our data, we must own our future,” he declared, challenging African legislators to move from passive observation to proactive leadership in the AI revolution. He emphasized that “AI adoption does not begin with tools; it begins with leaders. When leaders model curiosity, transparency, and action, transformation becomes a shared reality. This AI revolution can and must become a shared reality for us, and we take leadership on this continent as parliaments”.
This call to leadership was echoed by APHRC Executive Director Dr. Anthony Mveyange, calling Africa to strenghten its capacity to govern AI and data systems to drive inclusive digital transformation, “Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer of AI technologies developed elsewhere, we must shape the ethical, legal and social frameworks that govern how AI is used on our soil, for our people”, he declared. He highlighted the scale of Africa’s digital divide, noting that whilst mobile internet reaches much of the continent, 710 million Africans remain offline. “At current rates, closing this gap will take 30 years. Yet if we close it by 2030, it could add 700 billion dollars to our GDP”, he explained.
Dr. Agnes Charaka, Head of Data Science Programmes at APHRC, challenged Africa to move from being consumers to creators of AI, projecting that securing pillars such as data, talent, infrastructure, governance, use cases, and investment could add $2.9 trillion to Africa’s GDP. She urged PAP to lead the development of a continental model law on AI and safeguard data sovereignty.
Ms. Flora Karim, Head of Research at APHRC, highlighted that Africa’s self-sufficiency in science, technology, and innovation depends on strong research ecosystems, collaborative structures, and AI-enabled tools to bridge language, geographic, and duplication barriers. “There is no way we can survive as individuals. We have to embrace synergy, collaboration, and meaningful partnerships”, she said.
Mr. Henry Owoko, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Officer at APHRC, stressed the critical importance of AI ethics, governance, and legal frameworks, warning that without clear safeguards, AI could undermine democracy, privacy, and human rights. “It is parliamentarians who must set the tone for ethical oversight and inclusive governance”, he said, adding that without strategy, digitalization not only opens opportunities but also vulnerabilities. He highlighted the need for harmonized continental standards to prevent risks such as misinformation, biased algorithms, and data exploitation, cautioning, “If we do not legislate carefully, Africa will face a new form of digital colonialism”.
Building on this, Mr. Daniel Mwanga, Senior Data Scientist at APHRC, emphasized the central role of data in Africa’s digital transformation, noting that challenges lie not only in generating data but ensuring its quality, accessibility, and ownership. “If our data is not representative, the AI systems we use will not reflect our realities”, he warned, urging MPs to invest in national and regional data infrastructures, capacity building for data scientists, and cross-country collaboration, while reaffirming APHRC’s commitment to support parliamentarians with evidence and expertise to ensure ethical, data-driven AI governance.
The discussions cemented a shared understanding that Africa cannot afford to lag behind in the AI revolution. Parliamentarians agreed that PAP must champion model laws, facilitate continental strategies, and press national governments to invest in the foundational pillars of AI to ensure it serves empowerment, inclusivity, and sustainable development.
In her closing remarks, 3rd Vice President Hon. Lucia Dos Passos thanked the experts and participants, emphasizing, “We are the voice of African people and we need to have knowledge so that we can legislate”. She called for collaboration and research to harness digitization in health, education, agriculture, and other sectors, and stressed the importance of reducing dependence on foreign powers to build a strong, homegrown digital future.
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