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The inaugural edition of the International Forum focusing on AI, digital transition, energy, and connectivity in Africa launched on Monday in Rabat. This significant event is organized by the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), under the theme «Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transition, Energy, and Connectivity in Africa: Perspectives for International Cooperation».
The forum gathers an impressive array of participants, including government officials, public institutions, NGOs, private sector leaders, experts, financial bodies, and international entities specializing in AI. The primary goal is to tackle the challenges linked to digital transition, energy, connectivity, and explore avenues for cooperation across Africa.
During the event, the Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, lauded CAFRAD's long-standing role in enhancing administrative capacities and modernizing public sector operations. She emphasized the need for an African approach to AI that prioritizes sovereignty, trust, ethics, scientific and academic collaboration, and youth training.
In parallel, CAFRAD's Director General, Coffi Dieudonné Assouvi, highlighted that digital technologies and AI are among the most significant developments of the 21st century, reshaping how we live. However, he cautioned that these advancements also bring about ethical dilemmas and risks, such as cybercrime, hybrid warfare, energy consumption, and the digital divide.
Assouvi referenced international initiatives, including UNESCO's 2021 recommendation on AI ethics and the UN's Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, which encompasses the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
In this setting, he revealed CAFRAD's plan to rally support for a comprehensive roadmap aligned with the African Union's Agenda 2063.
