{"id":120279,"date":"2025-07-02T06:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120279"},"modified":"2025-07-02T06:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:35:12","slug":"ecowas-parliament-pushes-for-regional-ai-legal-education-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/ecowas-parliament-pushes-for-regional-ai-legal-education-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"ECOWAS Parliament Pushes for Regional AI Legal, Education Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Economic Community of West African States Parliament has called for the establishment of a legal and educational framework to guide the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across West Africa.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This call was made by the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, during a delocalised meeting of the Parliament\u2019s Joint Committee on Education, Science, and Digital Innovation, held on Monday in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting, themed \u201cPrioritising Education Technology and Innovation in the ECOWAS Region.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Represented by the Second Deputy Speaker, Adjaratou Coulibaly, Ibrahima emphasized the need for West Africa to embrace new learning models aligned with global technological trends.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe must adopt innovative education systems that meet the demands of the digital age,\u201d she said. \u201cThis aligns with our parliamentary mandate and the aspirations of West African citizens.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She expressed optimism that the discussions in Dakar would lead to a clear recommendation for a regional legal framework on artificial intelligence.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ibrahima highlighted the importance of digital transformation and innovation in shaping the region\u2019s future, particularly in the education sector.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cTraditional models of education are being questioned. We\u2019ve progressed, but problems remain,\u201d she noted, citing poor infrastructure, digital inequality, and slow technological adoption in some member states as major barriers.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She stressed that bridging the digital divide was crucial if Africa hopes to compete in the global knowledge economy. \u201cIf Africa wants to join the global knowledge economy, every child must access digital tools from school,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ibrahima also posed a critical question to participants: \u201cWe must ask: what happens when AI replaces teachers? How do we humanise education?\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She urged the Joint Committee to propose actionable regional strategies that promote inclusive digital learning and ensure that every child in West Africa can learn, grow, and contribute to the region\u2019s prosperity.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also addressing the gathering, Senegal\u2019s Minister of National Education, Moustapha Guirassy, called for Africa to take an active role in creating and regulating AI technologies rather than remaining passive consumers.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe must not just consume AI. Africa must be a creator and regulator of AI,\u201d Guirassy stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He revealed that Senegal has committed significant resources to digital education, allocating 1,105 billion CFA francs to the education sector, with 130 billion CFA specifically earmarked for digital education initiatives.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Guirassy, AI is already being used in Senegal to monitor school performance, and educators are being trained in basic AI competencies. Additionally, sensitisation modules on algorithmic systems have been introduced for secondary school students.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He proposed the adoption of a West African Pact on the Use of AI in Education, grounded in a regional ethical charter and supported by digital resources in African languages.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both leaders agreed that regional collaboration and forward-looking policy are essential to ensure AI becomes a force for equitable development in West Africa.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi The Economic Community of West African States Parliament has called for the establishment of a legal and educational framework to guide the development and deployment of Artificial&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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