BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
EZULWINI – Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to accelerate economic development, improve public services and create new opportunities for businesses across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.
This was stated by Telecommunications Officer Leonard Chitundu, who represented COMESA Director for Infrastructure and Logistics at the Regional Validation Meeting for the Draft Study Report on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, which was held at Ezulwini Palazzo on Wednesday
Chitundu said AI could transform key sectors while improving the well-being of people across the region, provided member states invested in the skills, infrastructure and data required to support its adoption.
“AI holds significant potential to accelerate economic development and improve the well-being of our people, thereby advancing shared aspirations across the COMESA region,” he said.
The three-day meeting, which ends tomorrow, is being held under the World Bank-funded Inclusive Digitalization in Eastern and Southern Africa (IDEA) Programme.
Chitundu said AI presented opportunities to improve public services and strengthen sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education.
He said the technology could also facilitate trade and expand opportunities for local enterprises, creating a platform for businesses to develop solutions responding to challenges within the region.
“It offers opportunities to improve public services, strengthen key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education, facilitate trade and expand opportunities for local enterprises,” Chitundu said.
However, he cautioned that the benefits of AI would depend on countries creating the necessary conditions for its responsible use.
“Realising these benefits requires investment in skills, infrastructure and data, alongside safeguards for privacy, security, fairness and accountability,” he said.
Chitundu said COMESA’s ambition was to ensure that people and businesses were not merely consumers of AI technologies, but were also empowered to develop solutions that responded to regional needs.
“Our ambition must be to empower our people and businesses to develop and benefit from AI solutions that address regional needs and deliver tangible improvements in everyday life,” he said.
He said translating AI’s potential into measurable economic and social value would require countries to assess their readiness, identify priority needs and carefully sequence interventions.
According to Chitundu, effective AI governance, clear policies, capable institutions and practical implementation plans would be essential to ensuring that AI adoption produced sustainable benefits.
He said COMESA member states had different levels of readiness, resources and experience, making regional cooperation important in sharing expertise and developing compatible approaches.
“Regional cooperation can help us share expertise, encourage compatible policy approaches and support solutions that can serve more than one country,” he said.
The meeting is expected to validate the findings of the draft study, which represents the first phase of the initiative.
The validated findings will inform the second phase, which will focus on developing a Regional AI Strategy, Model Policy Guidelines and a Model Regulatory Framework for AI and other emerging technologies.
Chitundu urged delegates to scrutinise the study’s methodology, country coverage, findings and recommendations to ensure that it accurately reflected conditions across member states.
The review is being conducted around six areas, namely policy and regulation; skills and readiness; innovation and AI use cases; digital infrastructure and data; investment and market development; and environmental sustainability and responsible AI.
He said particular attention should be given to ensuring that women, young people, persons with disabilities and underserved communities were able to participate in and benefit from AI.
By the conclusion of the meeting, COMESA expects member states and partners to agree on corrections and additions to the draft report, prioritise AI use cases and strategic interventions, and provide clear direction for the next phase of the initiative.
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #COMESA #DigitalTransformation #EmergingTechnologies #Eswatini #EconomicDevelopment #DigitalInnovation #Technology #InclusiveDigitalisation
