Top Zimbabwe media campaigner appointed to AU Working Group on AI
PICTURE: MISA Regional Director and MISA Zimbabwe National Director Dr Tabani Moyo at the World Press Freedom Day commemorations at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare in May/MISA
Media Institute for Southern Africa
The MISA Regional Secretariat Director, Dr Tabani Moyo, has been appointed as a member of the African Union (AU) Working Group on Artificial Intelligence.
He expressed gratitude to MISA’s symbiotic relationships with the African Union Commission (AUC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UNESCO, particularly the Regional Office for Southern Africa (UNESCO-ROSA) and the organisation’s entire stakeholder chain.
‘We accept the responsibility thrust upon our shoulders with humility and honour in service of the peoples of Africa … and the diaspora. This is a recognition of the work we have done at MISA Regional Office, the chapters and networks that we serve in different capacities,’ said Moyo
‘We are grateful for the depth and cordial working relationship we have with the Ministry of ICT (Information Communication Technology), Postal and Courier Services in Zimbabwe. Through our strategic partnership and engagements, our expertise has been spotlighted.’
Moyo said, given the substantial global influence of AI, particularly on the African continent, stakeholders should consider societal, scientific, educational, cultural, legal, and regulatory factors when developing or implementing AI systems
It is in that context that the AUC in 2019 established and operationalised a Working Group on AI, which comprises AU Member States and pan-African organisations.
In April 2024, the 44th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council endorsed the conceptual framework and tasked the AUC with expediting the development of a comprehensive, forward-looking and action-oriented continental AI strategy.
This is aimed at effectively harnessing the potential of AI and transforming the continent in line with the AU Agenda 2063 goals, while managing associated risks and harms. The AU Executive Council adopted the AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy in July 2024.
Moyo, as the Convernor of IFEX, was one of the 21 expert members of the global committee established in July 2023 by Reporters Without Borders to develop a Media and AI Charter. The committee members were drawn from 13 different countries, academics and professionals in the fields of journalism, AI and digital technologies.
Led by journalist Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the international committee duly delivered the results of its work when the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism was launched at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2023.
