African Union Hosts Open Consultation on AI Governance and Regulation

An item carried by Internet Society News reports that the African Union Commission held a virtual consultation on AI governance and regulation over two days, September 23 and 24, 2026. The Infrastructure and Energy Department organized the event, which was intended to move forward the Continental AI Strategy that the Union adopted in 2024.

Participants came from civil society, academia, government policymaking, industry and the innovator community, drawn from across Africa and from the diaspora. Their input was meant to inform the Union's forthcoming guidelines covering AI governance and regulation, the document that turns the Continental AI Strategy into operational steps. The report links the effort to Agenda 2063, which stresses using emerging technologies to support sustainable development in the Union's 55 member states.

The sessions dealt with governance frameworks, coordination between institutions, regulation, security and standards, and they included the AU Model AI Law. The stated aim is a unified and ethical AI ecosystem on the continent. People who could not join the live sessions were invited to send written contributions, with a deadline of September 30, 2026, so that more voices could shape the outcome.

The page also carries a commentary section with the author's own views. It describes the consultation as a significant step that could encourage innovation and regional cooperation, while warning of obstacles such as weak infrastructure, data privacy worries and the difficulty of enforcing a model law once it exists. The author also offers a forecast about how many member states might adopt the guidelines by mid-2027, which is the writer's prediction rather than an established fact.