AFRICA AI BLUEPRINT:
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE AI ECOSYSTEM
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Time: 9:00 am - 2:45 pm
Overview:
NYU Africa House is delighted to collaborate with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) on the conference "Africa AI Blueprint: Building a Sustainable and Inclusive AI Ecosystem. Digitalization, automation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing prosperity by enhancing daily life through technologies like blockchain, Internet of Things, and 3D printing, which perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. AI is particularly transformative, driving sustainable development and economic growth across various sectors. In early 2024, the African Union's High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) published a White Paper on AI's strategic importance. A Continental AI Strategy adopted in June 2024, aiming to drive Africa’s development and inclusive growth. AUDA-NEPAD is also working on an AI Governance mechanism to address sector-specific applications and policy needs. However, the rise of these disruptive technologies brings risks such as security threats and economic instability, necessitating global collaboration to ensure cybersecurity and digital trust for future generations. To that effect, the high-level event organized by NYU Africa House and AUDA-NEPAD on the side of the Summit of the Future will address the following:
Building a Foundation for Africa’s AI Ecosystem
Bridging the Infrastructure Gap
Cultivating Human Capacity
Fostering Research and Innovation
Mapping the Future of AI in Africa
Addressing Risks, Maximizing Benefits, and Ensuring Ethical Responsible AI
Mitigating Job Displacement and Economic Disruption
Ensuring Fairness, Equity, and Inclusivity
Navigating the Geopolitical Landscape
Program:
9:00 am - 9:30 am Registration and Welcome Coffee
9:30 am - 10:00 am Opening Remarks
By Mr. Edward Bergman (NYU Africa House Advisory Board Member), Prof. Yaw Nyarko (Professor of Economics at NYU and Director of NYU Africa House) and Mme Nardos Bekele-Thomas (AUDA-NEPAD CEO)
10:00 am - 10:30 am Prof. Sanjay Reddy (Economics at The New School for Social Research, New York) keynote address on “The Strategic Importance of AI for Africa’s Future: Navigating Governance and Ethical Considerations”
10:30 am - 11:30 am Panel Discussion 1, featured Prof. Yaw Nyarko (Professor of Economics at NYU and Director of NYU Africa House) and Prof. Raša Karapandža, (Professor of Finance and Dean at EBS and Visiting Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi) to present on “The Future of Global Banking and Economic Development in Africa in the Era of Digitalization”
11:30 am - 12:30 am Panel Discussion 2, featured Dr. Rachel Adams (Director of the African Observatory on Responsible AI), Mr. Pierre-Christopher Gam (MIT Researcher) and Dr. Byron E. Price (professor of public administration at Medgar Evers College), to present on “Addressing Risks, Maximizing Benefits, and Ensuring Ethical AI”
12:30 am - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Roundtable Discussion, featured Mr. Amine Idriss Adoum (Director Economic, Infrastructure, Industrialisation and Market Trade), Mr. Kojo Boakye (Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for Africa), Leonida Mutuku (AI Research Director Local Development Research Institute), Dr. Duncan Cass-Beggs, (Executive Director of AI Global Risk Initiative Center for International Governance Innovation)
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm Closing Remarks and Next Steps
©Goldman: NYU Photo Bureau and Vera Qiu