The Creative Economy Working Group (CEWG) attended the East African Sub-Regional Forum
on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI) by UNESCO. Prof Kimani Njogu, CEWG chair and
Twaweza Communications Director, moderated a session on maximizing AI benefits for socio-
economic development and cultural renaissance in East Africa. In this session, the centrality of
African languages and cultures in the development of AI for East African communities was
underscored. In addition, panelists noted that the East African region is blessed with rich cultural
heritage and innovative youth who, if well capacitated, can come up with solutions to challenges
of health, agriculture, food production and climate change emergencies. There is a great need to
support artists and cultural professionals with capacities to use the new digital tools and available
technologies. The capacity development and the adoption of an AI ecosystem approach would
benefit further by working closely with stakeholders in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs)
to protect intellectual property rights (IPRs), ensure fair pay for artists and cultural professionals,
and minimize socio-cultural bias and stereotypes often perpetuated through languages and
images.

The plenary consisted of professionals from different sectors but whose area of expertise directly
or indirectly relates with AI/AI tools. These were:
● Mufuth Nkurunziza, founder and CEO of Guez Show, a leading CGI (Computer-
Generated Imagery) company in Rwanda. He is a 2022 Eisenhower Global Fellow and
his company is an alumnus of the Stanford Seed Program, an executive MBA offered by
Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is also an alumnus of the eFOUNDERS
Fellowship Programme, a collaboration between Alibaba Group and UNCTAD.
● Cajetan Boy, an award-winning Script Writer, Producer, Director, and Actor. He is
currently working intensively with AI in an attempt to learn how to leverage it correctly
in order to maximize the quality and quantity of creative works.

● Mrs. Sharon Chahale Wata who is the Deputy Director in charge of Training and
Research at the Kenya Copyright Board. (KECOBO) She is an accomplished intellectual
property lawyer with 16 years industry experience having served as copyright prosecutor,
CEO of a Collective Management Organization as well as intellectual property trainer.
● Dr Wanjiku Ng’ang’a, a faculty member at the University of Nairobi, and lead of the
Nairobi School of AI. As a senior faculty member in the Department of Computing &
Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology at the university, Dr. Wanjiku co-
founded and served as the inaugural manager of the University’s Computing for
Development Lab (C4DLab) that is active in ICT-related R&D.
● Dr Shikoh Gitau, the visionary CEO of Qhala, a leading digital innovation company in
Africa. She holds a PhD and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape
Town. Her expertise spans key sectors such as agriculture, education, health, payments,
retail, and renewable energies. She has received awards such as the ASEB Summit
Award for Ecosystem Builder of the Year and Women in STEM Champion of the Year.

Questions to the plenary revolved around the use of AI in their areas of specialization; that is
creative industry, law and IT as well as impact of AI on the African continent. In the moderated
discussion, it was evident that the AI fraternity has a responsibility to ensure that the use of AI in
the creative space and the country in general is at the forefront of bringing change and
development. A raft of measures needed to be taken to that effect. First and foremost,
practitioners in the sector should seek to utilize AI in creative production. We Are Amnet, an
independent agency that specializes in creative production outlines four areas that AI can be
leveraged in creative work. First is personalization where AI-driven algorithms can tailor content
to unique preferences and behaviors of individual consumers. Secondly, is in visual
enhancements where AI tools can be used to automatically apply color corrections, filters and
retouches to elevate visual appeal of content. By leveraging advanced image recognition and
processing capabilities, AI streamlines the enhancement process ensuring that content maintains
a consistent and high-quality visual standard. In addition, AI can be used in video and motion
editing where various post-production tasks can be automated rather than being performed
manually. Tasks such as background removal, integration of special effects can all be done
effectively through AI-driven algorithms. Finally, AI can be utilized in natural language

processing where it can be instrumental in optimizing transcreation and localization efforts. This
can be done through offering precise language translations and aligning content with the
preference of local audiences. This overall use of AI can promote the creative industry and
navigate language barriers.

AI can also be used to enhance localized content. There is a strong need for AI to produce more
localized and culturally relevant content which could significantly improve storytelling and
engagement through advanced technologies like animation and virtual reality. With AI, analysis
of localization data can be done providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of localized
content. AI-powered QA checks can also be used to check the accuracy and quality of localized
content. However, there are some limitations to this effect. AI may struggle to understand
context specific nuances, cultural references, and idiomatic expressions leading to inaccuracies
in localized content.

There is a great clamor to invest in education and training in AI. At the same time, there is a
mixed perception towards AI among creative professionals. Whereas some see AI as an
opportunity, others view it as a technology that will take away jobs. But as Cajetan Boy
observed, it is those creatives who will not adapt to the new technologies that will be edged out.
However, those that will adapt could reap benefits to a substantial degree. It is in recognition of
this possibility that capacity building initiatives for youth such as those led by filmmaker,
Cajetan Boy, in Kenya, are apt. They are aimed at leveraging and collaborating with AI to
enhance and develop creative practice. Panelists observed that it is essential to bridge the gap by
educating creatives and the overall population on how best they can utilize AI for their benefit.
This leads to a progressive society that is development-oriented.

However, at the same time it is necessary to address the challenges in educational AI use. It is
vital to advocate for the democratization and decolonization of educational systems to leverage
AI effectively among learners. Because currently, AI models are enabled through knowledge
from non-African experiences, there is the danger of perpetuating stereotypes and biases. With
the deliberate investment in African based linguistic corpus, education in Africa can benefit from
perspectives that are more inclusive and dignifying.

In research and employment, there is a great potential of AI to create new job opportunities and
be applicable in research fields. Through AI tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT, one can
seamlessly conduct research and also simplify bulk information into comprehensible text. This
modernized time has been characterized by enhanced efficiency, global collaboration, and
increased discoverability. Technologies powered by AI have been designed to streamline
complex tasks, literature reviews, and data analysis, giving researchers the license to pivot
towards higher-order thinking and innovation. With employment, AI is bringing a spanner in the
works but one that introduces opportunities especially in the creative sector. AI provides
automation in complex, technical tasks but areas such as idea generation and strategy
development remain inherently human. This can have the effect of elevating human creativity as
it frees creatives to completely indulge in the development of ideas and strategy. All in all, it is
imperative that professionals equip themselves with the skills to do their jobs incorporating the
advancements in technology and AI.

The Session observed that AI presents users with an opportunity to promote linguistic diversity.
Africa is blessed with over 2,000 complex and diverse languages. There is a great need for AI
systems that can accurately understand and generate those languages to tap into indigenous
knowledge systems. As Dr. Wanjiku observed, natural language processing has been key in
streamlining linguistic development. However, it is still limited in its capacity to capture
indigenous African languages. Leveraging on the predominantly oral nature of African
languages, AI research should prioritize audio-based technologies to capitalize on existing
linguistic resources, said the panelists. Furthermore, there is a need to map African languages
into clusters and core languages that share structural similarities in order to make AI-operated
translation and adaptation more feasible by focusing on lexical convergence and grammatical
uniformity.

It is important to increase AI awareness and policy development. Coming up with inclusive AI
governance policies, increasing AI awareness and integrating AI knowledge and experiences into
policymaking is key, especially in creating AI systems capable of understanding and interacting
in African languages. To create AI awareness, certain measures such as public engagement,

stakeholder involvement and training and capacity building can be taken. By engaging the public
through workshops & campaigns, encouraging collaboration amongst different stakeholders –
government, academia, private sector and civil society-and developing training programs to
enhance understanding of AI operations. Policy development can be promoted by providing
robust ethical AI guidelines and regulatory frameworks.

It was recommended that ethical AI guidelines be developed to ensure AI is used responsibly
and transparently while addressing issues of bias, fairness, accountability, and transparency in AI
systems. A robust regulatory framework will govern the use of AI which involves setting
standards for data protection, privacy, and security, as well as creating mechanisms for
monitoring and enforcement.

Coming up with strategic national AI policies will provide a vision, goal, and roadmap for AI
adoption in the country while covering key areas such as implementation, benchmarks, and
evaluation metrics. Having a comprehensive policy framework, sector-specific strategies,
promoting innovation & research support, and encouraging inclusive growth are some additional
steps that can be taken. A comprehensive policy framework that encompasses various aspects
such as infrastructure development, R&D, education & training, and internal collaboration will
guarantee consistency across the board. Sector-specific strategies provide a clear path on how AI
can be incorporated in various sectors of the economy. Encouraging innovation through funding
and support for AI research and development is crucial. This includes establishing research
centers, providing grants, and fostering partnerships between academia and industry. AI policies
can promote inclusive growth by addressing the digital divide and providing equal opportunities
for all citizens to benefit from AI advancements.

As panelist Sharon Wata opined, the debate around AI’s role in intellectual property is profound,
and questions on whether AI can hold the status of inventor or creator and how this impacts
traditional regimes of IP and copyright laws remain. However, AI can still have a positive impact
on the area of IP. By using AI, the process of obtaining patents, copyrights, and trademarks
can be simplified, preventing any cases of backlog from arising. Additionally, creating incentives
for innovation by offering tax breaks, grants, and other financial support to entities developing

AI technologies can encourage more investment in AI research and development. In the midst of
all this, developing a sound legal framework is pivotal. This is particularly so when addressing
disputes related to AI and intellectual property. This includes establishing specialized tribunals
or courts to handle complex IP cases involving AI.

A vital cog aspect in the advancement of use of AI and AI tools in Africa is secure internet
accessibility. The statistics paint a grim reality. As of June 2022, the internet penetration rate in
Africa was 43.2 percent which was low compared to the global average- 67.9 percent. In
addition, there are glaring disparities in terms of internet penetration amongst African countries.
Statists put the internet penetration rate in Morocco at 91 percent (highest in the region) while in
countries such as the Central African Republic the penetration is at a paltry 11 percent.
Consequently, there is a pressing need for better internet access in Africa and governments have
a responsibility to take active steps to enhance connectivity.

Amidst all this, we need to address a big elephant in the room: the AI divide. AI has been met
with resistance from some quarters and this can hinder its adoption. Despite having its numerous
benefits, it still poses a risk to various industries. In Africa, the panelists observed that we can
bridge the gap by ensuring that African values and cultures are embedded in AI by integrating
diverse African languages in technology, reducing bias, and fostering inclusivity. Substantial
investments in the AI ecosystem can also be made so as to promote socio-economic
development.

In conclusion, the East African Sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence (EARFAI)
illuminated the transformative potential of AI in East Africa’s socio-economic and cultural
spheres. The Creative Economy Working Group (CEWG) emphasized the need to integrate
African languages and cultural elements into AI development to ensure relevance and
inclusivity. By harnessing AI for personalized content creation, localized storytelling, and
innovative solutions across various sectors, the region can leverage its rich cultural heritage and
the innovative capacity of its youth. To realize this vision, it is imperative to enhance digital
literacy, improve internet accessibility, and establish robust, ethical AI policies. Moreover,
collaborative efforts among government, academia, and the private sector will be crucial in

building a resilient AI ecosystem. Additionally, addressing intellectual property concerns and
ensuring fair compensation for creatives will further empower the creative industries. Of equal
importance will be embracing AI while preserving African values and cultures to drive
sustainable development and a cultural renaissance in East Africa.

By Walter Ngano