AfL is dedicated to exploring relevant legal matters in the world, with an interest in Africa.
There is little doubt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will transform every aspect of our current reality and society.
Though still an emerging technology, AI has already impacted industries ranging from business to national security. Global laws (domestic and international) are racing to keep up, to produce guidance and regulations necessary to ensure that companies that deploy AI systems, as well as AI practitioners, are compliant.
African countries are no exception to the global frenzy to understand and regulate AI systems. Thus, this blog (AfL) will explore tech (AI) law around the world, with a consideration for stories about AI in Africa. This is a topical matter when we consider how (or if) AI systems and new technologies might affect the progress of creating an African Free Trade Agreement (AfcFTA).
This blog will be written for an amateur non-legal audience, that is interested in learning more about niche legal jurisprudence. While this blog might have a focus on Africa, Artificial Intelligence and Data Privacy Laws, it will also include sections where a range of international issues will be discussed. This will include topics that, in some cases, may not even be of legal nature or interest. Furthermore, a secondary aim of this blog is to write about Africa in a serious way that provides agency. AI is here and it is up to African leaders, as well as citizens, to use this technology for national and continental advancement. Developing clear continental goals on this emerging technology will be an interest of this blog.
Finally, if readers are able to leave this blog with an understanding of relevant jurisprudence, legal principles, or an appreciation (for) Business in Africa, interest in politics in the various African countries or a commitment to advancing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), then this project is a success
Who is the Author? What are their values and mission?
Our mission is to host conversations that will drive African advancement.
This blog is written by an African, who mostly lives in Africa. The values rooted in this blog come from a desire for the African continent to compete in the global market, by its own merit.
Therefore, while there may be some recognition of histories of past colonial exploitation, this blog will be mostly focused on the future: ways Africa can differentiate itself as a prime location for international business; ways the continent can improve poverty and join the ranks of opportunity economies, the likes of which we see in Europe and America; ways African countries can commit to enforcement of the law, to protect their citizens from future exploitation, and most importantly, ways African countries can create the largest, overarching single market for goods and services in the world, the African Continental Free Trade Area.