The African Union endorsed its Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy in July 2024. The strategy gives member states a shared direction for using AI to support development.
It is a strategy, not one law that applies in the same way across every country. National governments still make and enforce their own rules. Businesses should use the strategy as a planning signal and then check local law.
What the strategy focuses on
The document covers skills, research, data, infrastructure, safety and cooperation. It also calls for AI that reflects African needs and creates local value.
For a manager, this means an AI plan should include more than buying a foreign tool. It should ask whether local staff can run the system, whether the data represents local users and whether the organisation can change provider later.
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What to put in your plan
Start with a real business or public need. Define the result you want and the people affected. Test the system with local languages, accents and working conditions where they matter.
Record where data is stored and who can access it. Plan for training and human review. Check whether local suppliers, universities or experts can support the work.
Measure the result, not the excitement. A pilot should have a clear target such as shorter processing time, fewer errors or better access. Stop or revise it if the evidence is weak.
Your next step
Take one planned AI project and add local data, skills, infrastructure and provider-exit checks. Join the AI Excellence Hub for practical courses on AI strategy and governance, or log in.