Online Reporter
George Maponga in MIDRAND, South Africa
The Pan African Parliament(PAP) has been urged to craft a model law on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a drive to push the African continent to pivot towards the technology.
Contributing to debate on the adoption of AI in Africa during the ongoing 5th Ordinary Session of the 6th parliament of PAP, Mberengwa West legislator Tafanana Zhou said it is pertinent for the continent to expand the usage of AI.
The Zimbabwean legislator noted that the passage of a model law by PAP would serve as a reference point for African nations to enact laws governing the use of AI.
“It is crucial for this parliament (PAP) to pass a model law on AI that will serve as a reference point for African countries to craft laws that control the usage of AI to power transformative development,” he stated.
He highlighted the advantages of harnessing AI in Africa, noting that its disadvantages were outweighed by the positives by a mile.
The parliamentarian noted that embracing AI is key to stimulating development across Africa, where the majority of citizens, especially women and children, remain mired in poverty.
He challenged PAP to make sure that no place and no one in Africa is left behind from the global transformation that is occurring through embracing AI.
“In Zimbabwe, my President Dr ED Mnangagwa and his government have already started embracing the use of AI under the “leaving no one and no place behind” mantra as my country eyes to transform into an empowered upper middle-income economy by the year 2030.”
Other PAP legislators also urged the continent to double down on its drive to embrace AI and leapfrog economic development for the benefit of more than 1,2 billion people domiciled in Africa.
