from PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda Bureau
KIGALI, (CAJ News) – RWANDA is positioning itself as an advocate for Africa’s rights in space and the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) globally.
This is according to a tech expert in government after the East African country recently launched its second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and prepares to host the inaugural Global AI Summit for Africa this week.
The summit is siday.et for Thursday and Fr
“We are currently a global benchmark in terms of regulation and how to commercialise and manage the drone ecosystem,” said Esther Kunda, Director General: Innovation and Emerging Technologies at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Innovation.
“In space, the investments we have made are supporting the global conversation on space rights for Africa. That is going to be impactful in how Africa as a continent, and Rwanda, can reap benefits from space in general,” she said in an interview with media in Kigali.
“Lately, around AI, we were among the first countries to put a (AI) policy in place, which has put us in a position where we are contributing in the global conversation around AI governance and defining what AI looks like for small countries like us.”
Rwanda is seen as a leader in innovation in the continent.
In 2022, it launched the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF).
It established the Rwanda Space Agency in 2020 to utilise pace technology to grow other sectors and mitigate disasters, among other benefits.
– CAJ News