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This paper analyzes the AI policy priorities and governance approaches in Africa, highlighting the continent's eagerness to leverage AI for economic transformation while largely neglecting safety concerns. By examining a range of governmental communications and national strategies, the study reveals a significant disparity between the enthusiasm for AI's potential benefits and the insufficient focus on mitigating associated risks. The findings underscore the need for a more balanced approach that addresses both the opportunities and the safety implications of AI deployment in African contexts.
African governments are prioritizing AI's economic potential but are alarmingly underestimating the importance of safety measures.
The rapid improvement of AI systems has intensified debate about humanity's economic, political, social, and existential future. As AI reshapes expectations about what lies ahead, policy choices and institutional responses will play a crucial role in determining who benefits, who bears the costs, and whether the most serious risks can be mitigated. Africa remains relatively overlooked in these discussions, partly because it is largely a consumer rather than a producer of frontier AI systems, and also because many countries on the continent continue to face pressing development challenges. Given the catch-up imperative, governments across Africa are eager to embrace AI as a means for accelerating economic transformation. Drawing on speeches, press releases, public statements, and national AI strategies/frameworks, this essay argues that while African governments are highly attentive to AI's opportunities, they devote comparatively little attention to AI safety.