Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1267^th meeting, held at Ministerial level, on 20 March 2025, on Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Peace, Security and Governance in Africa.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling previous decisions and pronouncements on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Peace and Security, in particular the Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1214 (2024)] adopted at its 1214^th adopted on 13 June 2024;

Noting the opening statements by Honorable Minister Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco and Chairperson of the PSC of the AU for March 2025; and by H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AU Commission;

Also noting the Introductory Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; and the Statement by Mr Bernardo Mariano Junior, Assistant Secretary-General, Chief Information Technology Officer, UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (UNOICT); and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Takes note of establishment of the Advisory Group on AI, Impact on Peace, Security and Governance in Africa, representing the five regions of the continent; and looks forward for its active role in advising the Council and the AU Commission in mainstreaming AI in all peace and governance processes, including facilitating its integration in peace-building initiatives, democratic elections, leveraging AI for mediation, reconciliation, and post-conflict reconstruction;

2. Underlines the need to incorporate the AI tool in African peace, security and governance strategies to promote inclusive and sustainable development on the continent; as well as the need to incorporate AI into the management of AU peacekeeping missions to ensure the optimization of troop and resource deployment;

3. Also Underlines the need to raise awareness among African states of the risks associated with the increasing use of AI, including military AI by non-state actors, in particular armed groups, separatists and terrorist groups, which could destabilize security and increase conflicts in Africa;

4. Requests the AU Commission to develop and integrated AI-based early warning systems to support the decision making and efforts of the AU Member States, AU and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) in detecting signals of radicalization, community violence and emerging conflicts; in this regard, encourages AU Member States, RECs/RMs to enhance coordination and information sharing and interoperability of surveillance systems;

5. Underscores the need to promote inclusive AI governance involving all stakeholders, citizens, civil society, researchers and the private sector in discussions on AI and its applications to ensure that technologies meet the needs and aspirations of the people of Africa; and also encourages public-private partnerships to support African innovation in AI and cybersecurity;

6. Highlights the imperative to establish an African AI Centre of Excellence for threat assessment and capacity building to support peace and security initiatives on the continent as well as the establishment of a Pan-African Academy for the Promotion of AI that will produce African expertise in the field and promote academic training in AI on the continent;

7. Encourages AU Member States to establish national artificial intelligence centres, as well as partnerships between these centres and international organizations working in the field of AI, such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);

8. Also encourages the development of an African regulatory framework on AI and security that addresses continent-specific challenges and conforms with international standards such as ethical guidelines, aligned with UN resolution 78/265 and the 2021 UNESCO recommendation on AI ethics;

9. Underscores the need to promote accountable, transparent, equitable and fully representative and beneficial use of AI in a manner that ensures full respect of privacy and cultural diversity;

10. Requests the AU Commission to elaborate the African Common Position on AI and its impact on peace, security, democracy and development in Africa, and to update the Council regularly on the developments in field; also requests the AU Commission to develop an African Charter on AI for the responsible use of AI, with a section dedicated to the promotion of peaceful use of AI towards promotion of peace and security in Africa;

11. Calls on AU Member States to adopt national legislation to regulate the use of AI, particularly as it relates to governance, peace and security; and encourages them to development national AI strategies aligned with the continental strategy and framework;

12. Also calls on AU Member States who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the AU Convention on Cyber Security and the Protection of Personal Data (Malabo Convention) adopted in 2014 at the 23^rd AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government;

13. Highlights the importance to set up a mechanism to monitor and assess the impact of AI on peace and security, such as an AU Watch Center with a mandate to monitor AI developments worldwide and in Africa, and to regularly inform AU Member States, RECs/RMs and the AU on the state of AI, particularly its impact on governance, peace and security in Africa;

14. Underlines the need to share best practices between AU Member States and partners; in this respect, underscores the need to promote strategic partnerships with international institutions, technology companies and universities to build local AI capacity, share best practices and access cutting-edge technologies; and encourages AU Member States with support of the AU Commission to establish strategic partnerships and collaboration with countries and institutions that are already making remarkable progress in the field of AI, both in Africa and worldwide;

15. Requests the AU Commission to organize an African forum bringing together relevant partners and stakeholders to discuss AI as a key tool suited to share best practices and strategies for peace, security and governance in Africa;

16. Encourages Member States to undertake AI investments in priority areas such as cybersecurity, governance and critical infrastructure resilience;

17. Calls on for the establishment of an African Fund for AI, to finance the continent AI infrastructures and startups; and also calls on bilateral and multilateral partners to support and fund initiatives and offer technical assistance in the field of AI;

18. Highlights the need to strengthen regional and international cooperation in the area of cybersecurity and protection from AI threats; and underscores the need to promote the transfer of technology and expertise in the field of AI under a bilateral, regional or multilateral framework so that AI could help narrow the technology gap in Africa; and encourages the institutionalization of an African network of national AI centres, with an annual conclave to coordinate our efforts, enabling us to speak with a common and influential African voice on the future of AI;

19. Highlights the importance to ensure greater representation of Africa on global AI regulatory and governance bodies as an imperative that the AI revolution benefits all and does not further widen the technology gap and exacerbate existing inequalities, particular with Africa;

20. Calls on for the mobilization of efforts and complementarity among the various initiatives dealing with the issue of AI at the continental and international levels by building on initiatives such as “UN Group of Friends on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development”, the Summit of the Future, and the UN Global Digital Compact, in order to accelerate the implementation of the relevant aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

21. Requests the AU Commission to develop training programmes on AI in support of AU Member States in investing in human capital by training and capturing African talents in the fields of AI;

22. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS