On October 17 and 18, 2024, in Dakar, Senegal, the Forum brought together its civil society partners from West Africa: the Association de Lutte Contre le Racisme, l’Ethnocentrisme et le Régionalisme (Benin), Jonction (Senegal), Mauritanie Perspectives, and the Réseau des Professionnels de la Presse en Ligne de Côte d’Ivoire. These two days of seminars were dedicated to developing national and regional advocacy strategies to ensure that AI serves information integrity.
Since 2021, the Forum on Information and Democracy has been working with its partners in West Africa to implement regulatory frameworks for the information space. As part of these initiatives, the Forum organized a two-day seminar on October 17 and 18, 2024, in Dakar, Senegal, to build advocacy strategies around artificial intelligence and information integrity.
During this seminar, civil society organizations expressed their concerns about artificial intelligence, highlighting the potential impact this new technology could have on the existing digital divide between the Global North and the Global South
Many countries, such as Benin, Mauritania, and Senegal, have developed national strategies on AI to harness its benefits. However, these strategies do not address the risks to the information space, as mentioned by the participants. Drawing on the report “AI as a Public Good” published in February 2024, the Forum’s partners aim to raise awareness about these issues.
The Forum’s partners specifically call for:
- Strengthening AI education for citizens and journalists to promote responsible use
- Updating personal data protection laws and reinforcing the Commissions responsible for their enforcement to address AI-related issues
- Involving sub-regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in these initiatives
- Including information space concerns in AI strategies, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, where development is ongoing
- Engaging civil society in the implementation and monitoring of national AI strategies
- Collaborating with institutions addressing the issue, notably the African Communication Regulation Authorities Network (ACRAN)
Following the seminar, the Forum’s partners in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, and Senegal will implement concrete actions to mobilize civil society, the media, and governments on these issues.
These actions are part of the Partnership on Information and Democracy, which Benin and Senegal have endorsed.
