US, Nigeria host global conference on inclusivity, AI in Lagos

The U.S. Department of State and Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will be engaging participants on the opportunities and challenges in the responsible development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa.

This comes as the two countries are going to convene more than 200 stakeholders, including senior officials from the United States and Africa, private sector executives, civil society members, and academia for a “Global Inclusivity and AI: Africa” conference in Lagos, Nigeria on September 10 – 11, 2024.

The group will also seek to identify and harmonise AI governance strategies between the United States and African nations to enable AI deployments in Africa to be more safe, secure, transparent, and trustworthy.

Related News

The conference builds on the positive momentum of the U.S. Secretary of State’s trip to Nigeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, and Angola in January 2024 and the landmark adoption and co-sponsorship of 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa of the “Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development” resolution by the United Nations in March. It also expands on Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s visit to Abuja for the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar.

The conference will advance the Biden-Harris administration’s digital transformation with Africa initiative, which invests in expanding digital access and literacy while strengthening the digital business enabling environment across the continent.

The U.S. delegation will be led by acting special envoy for critical and emerging technology, Seth Center, deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs Joy Basu, and will feature recorded remarks from deputy secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.