Africa must leverage AI for growth – NITDA

Africa must pair artificial intelligence with strategic leadership to overcome development challenges and accelerate economic growth, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, said on Wednesday.

Inuwa made this statement during a panel session at the GITEX Africa 2025 conference in Marrakech, Morocco, addressing an audience of policymakers, investors, and technologists on AI’s transformative potential for the continent’s development.

Inuwa emphasised that AI presents unprecedented opportunities to drive innovation, optimise resources, and unlock new possibilities for African nations. However, he stressed that these benefits can only be realised if AI is integrated into sound, people-first strategies.

“AI is shifting the skills we value and the processes we use in our daily work. To drive Africa’s development, leaders must be AI-driven and use the technology as a tool to achieve their strategic vision,” Inuwa said.

During his presentation, Inuwa outlined key principles for effectively utilising AI to transform leadership and business models across the continent.

These principles include integrating AI into organisational tasks, maintaining human oversight, designing models with ethical guardrails, and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement.

He also cautioned against the risks of deploying AI systems that rely on data failing to represent diverse cultures and societies. “If data doesn’t see a community, the system won’t see it either,” he warned, underscoring the importance of ensuring inclusivity in AI development and governance.

Inuwa further introduced NITDA’s Regulatory Intelligence Framework, designed to guide the governance of AI. The framework, according to Inuwa, is based on three core pillars: awareness, intelligence, and dynamism.

It also incorporates both rule-based and non-rule-based approaches to regulation, offering flexibility in developing AI use cases and establishing best practices.

As part of his vision for Africa’s AI future, Inuwa expressed optimism about the continent’s ability to leverage AI for solving real-world challenges across various sectors, from healthcare to agriculture.

“We missed the first, second, and third industrial revolutions, but we must lead the fourth one,” he asserted, urging African leaders to harness AI’s potential for inclusive growth.

The panel session also featured contributions from other industry leaders, including Special Envoy on Technology for the Republic of Kenya Philip Thigo; CEO of Pesalink Gituku Kirika; Head of Africa at OpenAI Emmanuel Lubanzadio, who shared their insights on AI’s transformative role in Africa’s future.