Board oversight of AI: Strategic guidance for African corporate leaders

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the corporate landscape, offering African businesses unprecedented opportunities to drive efficiency, innovation, and value creation. From automating routine tasks to enhancing customer experiences and optimizing decision-making,

AI has become a powerful tool for improving stakeholder experiences and business growth. AI is projected to contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, with African nations poised to benefit as AI adoption expands across sectors like finance, healthcare, and agriculture. However, with these opportunities come substantial risks – including bias, regulatory challenges, and data privacy issues – which place AI oversight at the forefront of corporate governance.

The Role of AI in Transforming African Corporations

AI’s transformative impact is evident across various sectors in Africa. In healthcare, AI diagnostic tools improve patient outcomes by aiding early disease detection and efficient treatment planning. In agriculture, AI tools help farmers monitor crop health and predict yields, boosting food security in regions dependent on agriculture. Financial institutions leverage AI in fraud detection, enhancing customer security. These examples showcase AI’s potential to address local challenges and support business objectives.

Yet, as businesses adopt AI-driven solutions, vigilance is essential. Poorly designed AI algorithms may reinforce biases or misuse data, eroding stakeholder trust. Recognising these risks, global regulatory frameworks like the EU’s AI Act have emerged, offering a roadmap for responsible AI use. Boards, specifically, play a crucial role in overseeing AI to ensure responsible adoption that drives both trust and value.

Why Board Oversight of AI Matters

AI oversight is increasingly a board-level concern because of its impact on mission-critical risks. AI systems make autonomous decisions affecting customers, employees, and society, making board engagement essential for managing these risks. The “noses in, fingers out” approach is vital here: boards must actively understand AI’s influence on strategy and risk management without encroaching on operational management. Through proactive oversight, boards can safeguard against AI-related pitfalls, foster trust, and align AI initiatives with corporate values.

GUIDANCE FOR EFFECTIVE BOARD OVERSIGHT OF AI

Here are key strategies African boards should consider to ensure responsible AI governance, enabling businesses to leverage AI’s benefits while managing risks effectively.

1. Understand AI’s Strategic Role and Associated Risks

Boards should prioritize understanding how AI integrates into company operations and assess its risks and benefits. This includes engaging with management to identify high-risk AI applications and evaluating alignment with organizational objectives and values. For example, AI-powered chatbots used by organisations for customer engagement can improve efficiency and responsiveness, but if not carefully managed, they risk providing inaccurate information, as seen in the 2023 Air Canada case where chatbot errors led to customer confusion. Additionally, many African e-commerce platforms are leveraging AI to analyse consumer behavior and personalise recommendations, boosting engagement and conversions. While beneficial, these applications require robust oversight to ensure AI tools provide fair, accurate, and relevant experiences for all customers.

Key questions for the board:

1. How does AI serve our strategic objectives?

Are we fully aware of the risks associated with AI applications, including potential bias and data misuse?

To answer these questions effectively, boards should position themselves to evaluate responses obtained from the management team. Ongoing education on AI advancements and their implications will further help boards stay attuned to emerging AI risks and opportunities.

2. Establish a Comprehensive AI Governance Framework

Boards should set an AI governance framework that includes risk management, ethical considerations, and regulatory compliance. This governance structure enables transparency and accountability in AI decision-making. Boards may consider adopting frameworks like the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, which categorises AI risks across human, organisational, and ecosystem levels. To deepen oversight, boards can recommend appointing an AI ethics committee or Chief AI Officer to provide oversight on AI use and report directly to the board.

Key steps for AI governance:

Define clear responsibilities for AI oversight, including an ethics committee or Chief AI Officer.

Ensure management has processes to assess, document, and mitigate AI risks regularly.

3. Maintain Oversight of Transparency in AI Vendor Contracts

For African businesses sourcing AI from global vendors, the board must ensure management obtains robust assurances regarding transparency in vendor contracts. This includes critical elements like data handling protocols, model design disclosure, and bias mitigation strategies. Boards should be informed of assurances received, particularly in high-risk scenarios, to ensure that the AI tools used align with the organization’s ethical and operational standards.

For instance, AI systems developed outside the African context can sometimes lack relevance or inadvertently introduce biases, potentially leading to unfair hiring or lending decisions. To mitigate these risks, the board should hold management accountable for securing vendor disclosures on AI model design, data sources, and any biases or assumptions embedded in the technology. This oversight allows the board to maintain trust in the organization’s AI applications and reduces the risks associated with opaque AI solutions.

4. Encourage Ethical and Responsible AI Practices

Boards must hold management accountable for implementing regular training on ethical AI practices across the organisation. Policies for responsible AI should prevent data misuse, protect privacy, and align AI applications with ethical principles like fairness and non-discrimination. For example, an AI-driven employee performance monitoring tool should be designed to protect employee privacy and avoid making evaluations based solely on productivity metrics without human oversight.

By setting expectations for periodic reviews of AI policies and standards, boards help ensure that organisational practices remain in sync with evolving ethical standards and regulatory requirements.

5. Integrate AI Safety into Risk Management and Reporting

AI safety risks, such as privacy breaches, misinformation, and unintended outcomes, should be embedded into broader risk management processes. Boards should focus on evaluating the organisation’s redress mechanisms to ensure swift and effective handling of AI-related incidents. For instance, they should review how the organisation addresses customer grievances related to AI interactions and whether systems are in place for quick incident resolution.

AI-specific reporting metrics, such as regular incident briefings, redress mechanisms, and customer feedback on AI interactions, offer boards insights into AI’s safety performance. Establishing these reporting structures provides visibility into AI-related risks, enabling boards to ensure that appropriate actions are taken when issues arise.

6. Stay Informed of Regulatory Changes and AI Compliance Requirements

As AI regulation evolves rapidly, it is essential for boards to stay informed about both local and global regulatory developments – such as Nigeria’s draft AI policy, Rwanda’s National AI Policy, and the EU AI Act. This knowledge allows boards to assess how regulatory shifts may impact on the organisation’s AI strategy and risk profile. Boards should encourage management to collaborate closely with legal and compliance teams to ensure the organisation’s AI frameworks remain adaptable and fully compliant across jurisdictions. By proactively understanding these regulatory landscapes, boards can guide the organisation in navigating compliance risks and aligning AI initiatives with emerging standards.

Conclusion: Building Digital Trust Through Proactive AI Oversight

AI oversight is a strategic priority for African boards seeking to balance innovation with ethical responsibility. By adopting strong governance practices, boards can mitigate AI risks while positioning their organizations as leaders in responsible AI use. With robust oversight, African businesses can harness AI’s potential to drive efficiency, foster innovation, and build lasting digital trust.

To reinforce stakeholder confidence, forward-thinking boards can engage recognised standards organisations to independently audit and certify their AI systems. ISO 42001, an emerging standard, is expected to offer an internationally recognised framework for managing AI risks, addressing areas such as bias, transparency, accountability, and data protection. Boards can encourage management to pursue such certifications, demonstrating a commitment to ethical AI and bolstering stakeholder trust in the organisation’s digital initiatives.

As African corporations increasingly adopt AI, board members have a unique opportunity to shape its responsible use. By demanding transparency, setting ethical standards, and securing trusted certifications, boards can ensure AI remains a safe, secure, and trusted driver of value for their organisations and communities.