AI, DPI offer Africa new hope for more efficient, impactful public sector: Tony Blair Institute

Generative AI can help Africa leapfrog its historical development constraints and fast-track a new approach to socio-economic progress which is different from the liner trajectory the continent has known over the decades.

This view underpins the arguments shared in the first of a planned series of papers by the Tony Blair institute for Global Change, titled: “Governing in the age of AI: A new model to transform the state.”

The thinking reflected in the paper is about Africans embracing a public sector modernization approach that is driven by AI and digital public infrastructure, both of which have the potential to make governments run in a more efficient, transparent and smart manner, void of the analogue system challenges that have bedevilled governance in the past.

AI, the Institute holds, can be extremely useful in streamlining a wide gamut of processes – from service delivery, to healthcare access, the fight against corruption, social protection, education and learning, climate change, agriculture and food security, the fight against youth unemployment, and financial inclusion, just to mention a fraction of these real-world use scenarios.

The paper contends that to set off a new governance dispensation, African countries must incorporate AI into their governance realities, with each of them tailoring it to suit their specific local contexts in order to make the most of the technology.

In its executive summary, the paper proposes that “to fully unlock AI’s potential, African governments must adopt a dual-track strategy – one that balances immediate, high-impact interventions with the development of long-term structural readiness.”

This, according to the writers, means “rapidly deploying AI for impactful use cases in priority sectors including health care, education, agriculture and public administration, addressing immediate challenges and building momentum.”

The paper also mentions key tips on African countries integrating AI into public sector governance. This includes “clear national leadership, robust institutional frameworks and forward-thinking investment.”

Specifically, the paper explains that adopting and deploying AI at scale will involve a number of strategic measures, the first of which is defining a national AI vision and governance framework, and then adopting adaptive AI governance and regulation models.

Other measures proposed include making significant investments in foundational AI infrastructure and data governance, building AI talent and ecosystems for innovation, and strengthening national computing infrastructure for the development of AI.

To the experts, one of the major challenges AI adoption and development would bring to the African governments is the cost burden, but they believe thinking of innovative financing models could prove crucial.

They go ahead to propose what they term a “dedicated AI-Financing Compact for Africa” which “could help governments integrate AI investment into long-term economic and fiscal planning.”

Among other things, the paper also discusses the systemic barriers which have prevented efficient governance in Africa, how AI can dismantle these hurdles and transform public administration, the building of AI systems that can drive cross-sectoral impact, AI investment models that can work better, and the role of the central government in AI governance.

DPI, AI among priorities of SA’s G20 presidency

Conscious of the potential impact and transformational power of AI and DPI in driving economic growth, South Africa says it is making these aspects part of the priority causes it is using its G20 presidency to advocate.

India had also used its own G20 presidency two years ago to make the case for global DPI adoption which is a major propeller of digital transformation.

According to a blog post by the World Economic Forum, the UNDP is joining hands with the South African government to make good on these intentions.

The South African President’s announcement of the putting in place of a G20 Task Force on Artificial Intelligence is expected to tie in with other global and regional efforts which are already ongoing with the aim of unearthing the real value of DPI and AI for Africa’s economic growth.

The WEF article notes that one of the roles of the G20 AI Task Force should be closing the AI gap, as well as harnessing the potential and contributions of the private sector.

One event to watch out for where discussions around DPI and AI will come under sharper focus is the ID4Afirca 2025 AGM coming up in Addis Ababa next month. Reflections around AI will feature during the event in the light of scalability of identity systems, deploying sector-specific applications and driving large scale impact.

Another event where these technologies will be extensively discussed is coming up in August in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

As Daily Trust reports, the event, dubbed African Digital Economy & Inclusivity Conference, will take place under the theme “AI and Africa’s Digital Economy: Leaving No One Behind.” It will bring participants from across the board to discuss advances in DPI and AI as they relate to Africa’s digital economy which is said to be valued at $180 billion.

Article Topics

AI  |  biometrics  |  digital economy  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  G20  |  government services  |  ID4Africa  |  Tony Blair Institute  |  World Economic Forum