The first African Women in Artificial Intelligence Summit was held in Accra at the Tony Blair Institute.
On the summit's panel of experts, presenters, and contributors on September 14, 2022, there were only African women.
Government representatives, decision-makers, agents of change, investors, fans of technology, and influential AI voices were all present.
The Tony Blair Institute aimed to highlight opportunities, breakthroughs, difficulties, and networks by encouraging knowledge sharing within this special group. It also hoped to act as a link between AI enthusiasts and the world of decision-making.
In order to ensure that new products are inclusive, accessible, and sustainable for all, stakeholders at this year's African Women in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit urged the industry to boost the representation of African women in AI through investment and training.
In order to inspire the African AI community to publicize its efforts to advance the African AI agenda, the Tony Blair Institute has also introduced the #AI1000 on social media. Everything counts, whether it's doing webinars, giving training courses, or having audio discussions online.
Excellence
Speaking on behalf of Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Madam Veronica Sackey, Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Directorate, emphasized that the pursuit of excellence in AI and other new technologies is a journey, not a race.
"Using AI as a tool, among the many others at our disposal, to provide economic and social development in Africa is the goal, not the adoption of AI itself.
SDG’s
The minister continued by saying that in order for AI to benefit African populations, "it must be implemented responsibly and it should be oriented on goals like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's)."
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful continued by saying that regulatory and digital infrastructure like internet access and digital literacy serve as the foundation for artificial intelligence.
To guarantee that technology helps everyone, these fundamental issues must be meaningfully addressed. For this reason, aggressive digitalization agendas have been adopted by Ghana and many other African nations, including those whose ICT ministers are women, she noted.
Initiatives
In order to promote a quicker recovery, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful mentioned other government initiatives, including the e-Transform Ghana project and the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project, supported by the Ghana Care "Obaatanpa" Programme.
Interest
She continued by pointing out that the government was working harder to boost interest in AI.
The minister explained that in order to increase interest in this field, his ministry has projects including "AI Education & Training," "Empowering the Youth for AI Jobs of the Future," and "Investing in Applied AI Research."
Future
For her part, Sinit Zeru, director of the Technology & Development Policy Unit at the Tony Blair Institute, which organized the summit, said that while AI is influencing how things are done more and more, it should not be taken for granted.
I'm preaching about the future of AI because this is another realm where we need to fight for justice, equality, and representation. The technological component can be fresh.I want to ask everyone to agree to work together to help African women in AI, she stated.
Do it in person or electronically using whichever platform suits you, Sinit Zeru continued. Doing it is the point. Let's travel and bring along others who don't have the luxury of being present.
In Africa, artificial intelligence (AI) is a nascent industry with significant development potential.
African governments are working to strengthen their ability to use AI to enhance public services, encourage innovation, and combat poverty and unemployment while developing long-lasting technological solutions that will improve socioeconomic prospects.
The most recent report from TBI, "Reaping the Rewards of the Technology Revolution: How Africa Can Accelerate AI Adoption Today," explores AI's potential in Africa and calls it "one of the biggest economic opportunities available to countries and according to estimates made by its leaders, by 2030 they might contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the world economy.
It also shows significant advancements in the creation of the AI ecosystem through start-up activities and research centres, while AI has already benefited public services and data deployment in the healthcare industry.
Despite its upbeat tone, the report urges the government to take comprehensive action in the direction of AI policy roadmaps in order to take advantage of the potential it offers, particularly those that are regionally contextualized and human-centered, inclusive, and transparent growth.
The paper includes a toolbox that walks policymakers through the inquiries, procedures, and actions that can be utilized to hasten and shape AI adoption in the short- to medium-term for favorable, lasting effects on the economy and society.