Artificial Intelligence

About East Africa AI Policy Hub

CIPIT continues to advance knowledge through evidence-based research that informs policy in Artificial Intelligence. Through a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, CIPIT has significantly contributed to shaping the evolving African AI landscape, particularly through the work of the AI Policy Center.

Over the past five years, we have built a nuanced understanding of the African AI ecosystem, especially within East Africa, through research, stakeholder engagement, training, knowledge-sharing sessions, collaborative activities, and policy influence.

These efforts have established CIPIT as a leading voice in AI governance and advancing its positioning as the East African AI Policy Hub (EA AI Policy Hub). This strategic positioning fosters a much-needed regional approach to developing responsible and ethical AI policy, both nationally and regionally. Further, note of CIPIT’s leadership is observed through its significant role in the development of the Kenya National AI Strategy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Fellowship: Foundations and Governance for Policy Makers

This Fellowship is an initiative of the EA AI Hub, designed to strengthen policy capacity on AI governance across the public sector. To date, the Fellowship has successfully equipped two cohorts of policymakers and regulators with the knowledge and tools required to engage with AI policy and governance challenges.

This fellowship is designed specifically for policymakers, regulators, and government officials involved in technology governance, public sector AI projects, or data policy frameworks.

Fellowship Objectives:

• Equip policymakers, regulators, and government officials with a robust understanding of AI fundamentals.

• Foster knowledge of AI governance, ethical frameworks, and regulatory best practices.

• Build a network of informed leaders capable of shaping effective AI policies.

Target Audience:

Regulators, policymakers, and government officials with roles in technology, innovation, or policy development.

Preference for candidates involved in technology governance, public sector AI projects, or data policy frameworks.

Duration- 4 months

Conference on the State of AI in Africa

The Conference on the State of AI in Africa (COSAA) is a biennial flagship conference hosted by CIPIT. COSAA convenes policymakers, researchers, industry actors, legal and regulatory experts, civil society organisations, and innovators to engage in informed dialogue on emerging AI trends, regulatory and policy frameworks, ethical considerations, and pathways for inclusive and responsible AI development. Through this convening, CIPIT facilitates collaboration, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based approaches that support context-sensitive AI governance and deployment across African countries.

COSAA 2025

The second edition of the Conference took place in June 2025 in Nairobi. Held under the theme “Shaping Responsible and Ethical AI Governance, Policy, and Regulation in Africa,” COSAA 2025 focused on priority areas including AI governance and regulation, data governance and sovereignty, intellectual property and innovation, and diversity and inclusivity in AI systems.

Report

The State of AI in Africa 2025 report provided an in-depth analysis of the continent’s AI landscape, documenting key developments, emerging challenges, policy gaps, and opportunities for responsible and inclusive AI adoption as of 2025. The report offered updated insights into Africa’s evolving AI landscape, building from the findings of the 2023 State of AI in Africa Report and following discussions from the 2nd Conference on the State of AI in Africa. The report serves as a critical resource for understanding Africa’s AI ecosystem, its opportunities, and the persistent gaps. Drawing insights into the continent’s regional and global positioning, the report lends an African and human rights lens, tracing the mold of a context-sensitive, inclusive and evolving AI ecosystem.

• Reports
• Videos

The State of AI in Africa Report

COSAA 2025 Day 1 Highlights

COSAA 2025 Day 2 Highlights

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State of AI in Africa 2023

The first edition, held in March 2023, was marked by an interdisciplinary gathering of AI and data stakeholders from the business community, ICT, academia, legal, policy, and regulatory fields, and civil society for a two–day event featuring inspiring keynote addresses, thought-provoking panels, and limitless high-value networking. The primary goal of the first edition of COSAA was to broaden research and innovation in AI in Africa by better understanding the AI landscape in Africa, what it meant to define African AI, and further promoting the exchange of ideas among attendees.

Report 

The State of AI in Africa 2023 Report highlighted the potential of AI technologies to transform the business, healthcare, legal, and agricultural sectors in Africa. It also identified significant gaps unique to Africa in realising the full potential of AI as of 2023. The report focused on four key thematic areas; AI and Data, AI and Innovation, AI Use in Health, Agriculture, Legal and Creative fields, and Responsible AI.

The State of AI in Africa 2023 Policy Brief highlighted the AI landscape in Africa and charted a path forward for policymakers to create laws and policies that will facilitate AI innovation while protecting the public.

• Reports
• Policy Brief
• Videos

State of Artificial Intelligence in Africa 2023 Report

The State of AI in Africa 2023 – A Policy Brief

COSAA 2023 Highlights

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The Nwulite Obodo Open Data License (NOODL)

The Nwulite Obodo Open Data License (NOODL) is a framework designed to promote equitable data sharing across Africa and other developing nations. Unlike standard open licenses, which apply uniform rules to all users, the Nwulite License acknowledges the unique contexts of African dataset creators and ensures that local communities benefit from the use of their data.

The drafting and development process was a collaborative effort between researchers at Data Science Law Lab, Data Science for Social Impact, Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law and numerous members of the African dataset community who are committed to open, equitable licenses for sharing African datasets. The license was launched at the Empowering African Voices in AI: Data, Models, and Innovation workshop co-hosted by CIPIT and Data Science Law Lab, which took place on September 6, 2024 at the Deep Learning Indaba 2024 in Dakar, Senegal.

In 2025, the Maseno Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence (MCAAI) at Maseno University became the first community to implement NOODL in practice. Working with a cohort of Dholuo data collectors, Maseno is applying the license to African language datasets, making it the very first NOODL community and a live demonstration of how equitable licensing can move from principle to practice.

Why a New License?

• Traditional open licenses, such as Creative Commons and Open Data Commons, do not account for the realities of African data sharing. They often:

• Overlook community contributions, making proper attribution difficult.

• Fail to prevent exploitative practices, such as digital colonialism and data extraction.

• Impose one-size-fits-all terms, disregarding local governance and cultural knowledge systems.

How the Nwulite License Works

The license distinguishes between users from developing countries and users from outside these regions, ensuring that data sharing remains fair and transparent:

• Developing country users: can use, modify, and share datasets freely but must re-share under the same license and keep data within developing nations.

• Users outside developing countries: must provide royalties or benefits to African dataset creators when using or modifying the data.

• All users: must attribute contributors, avoid imposing additional restrictions, and respect the rights of local communities.

Additional Tools: The African Dataset Creation Split Sheet

To further support transparent and fair data governance, the Nwulite License includes a customizable tool that helps contributors document their input and agree on data ownership before sharing begins.

Resources:

• https://licensingafricandatasets.com
• https://cipit.strathmore.edu/addressing-inequitable-openness-in-licences-for-sharing-african-data-and-datasets-through-the-nwulite-obodo-open-data-licence/
  

• Reports
• Articles

Addressing Inequitable Openness in Licences for Sharing African Data and Datasets Through the Nwulite Obodo Open Data Licence

NOODL An Experiment in Equitable Data Licensing: Promise and Limits

Whose Words, Whose Rights? Rethinking CC Licensing in African Language Data Sets.

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AI Visualisation Dashboards

Data Gig Work Landscape

The report analyses the challenges that both Kenyan and Nigerian gig workers face, such as precarious working conditions, job insecurity, and a lack of social protection, and how this affects the overall AI output.

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Mapping of AI Applications in Africa

This dashboard provides information on the emerging AI ecosystem on the African continent. African AI applications, in this study, are defined as applications that were

Open dashboard

AI Labour and Gender Gap in Africa

A mapping of gender composition of AI projects and companies originating in countries across Africa.

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AI Stakeholder Framework Dashboard

AI’s popularity on the African continent is fast rising and the need for regulation of its dynamic nature ought to be addressed by African stakeholders. In identifying stakeholders in the African AI ecosystem it is crucial to understanding the role of different stakeholders in the ecosystem. The AI Stakeholder Dashboard is designed to identify stakeholders […]

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