High-level Forum: Advocacy to Make AI Essential Component of Sustainable Development in Africa

03 June 2024 Printable Version

Rabat - Participants at the opening ceremony of the High-Level Forum on Artificial Intelligence called, on Monday in Rabat, for AI to become an essential component of sustainable, democratic development in Africa.

Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this three-day international event is initiated by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) through its Moroccan International Center for Artificial Intelligence “AI Movement”, in partnership with UNESCO. It brings together representatives from over 30 countries, including some 15 African countries, with the aim of laying the groundwork for an African strategy dedicated to AI.

Speaking on this occasion, Minister of National Education, Preschool Learning and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, said that AI is revolutionizing many sectors with very rapid advances, stressing that the African continent cannot remain a spectator of these developments.

The Minister also highlighted the role of AI in the education sector, stressing that the emergence of this innovation is having a major impact on the reforms undertaken in the field of education, notably through its potential uses in terms of mastering fundamental knowledge, facilitating teachers' work in the classroom, and providing personalized tutoring solutions for students.

For his part, Ambassador Mohamed Methqal, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), highlighted the Kingdom's commitment and leadership in the development of AI, acting through UM6P AI Movement center to promote innovative research in order to address the issues facing the African continent.

However, Methqal, also chairman of the Francophone Network of South-South Actors and Tripartite Cooperation, noted the predominance of just two languages in AI development (English, Mandarin), while calling for the promotion of African languages in this field, to serve complementarity between the various initiatives for joint, integrated and unfragmented action in the service of Africa's development.

UM6P president Hicham El Habti pointed out that AI is an indispensable element in the development and promotion of several fields, including health and education, in order to meet the needs of communities.

UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, commended the significant impact of AI development in Morocco and Africa, while expressing trust in the transformative potential of AI for Africa.