This post introduces the Tech Governance Project (TGov), a new nonprofit initiative for emerging technologies risk governance in Africa. The post presents our theory of change, progress, plans, and opportunities to get involved.  

Background 

Africa has traditionally been overlooked and underrepresented in global catastrophic risk and emerging technologies governance. African institutions can be significant actors in these fields, for example, due to their expanding development in biotechnology and biocontainment research activities, initiatives on AI governance, and their role in broader international affairs. However, due to insufficient investment and initiative, opportunities to advance global catastrophic risk reduction and emerging technologies governance in Africa have not been fully realized. The Tech Governance Project (Tgov), a new nonprofit initiative, seeks to build a risk-conscious field of emerging technologies governance across Africa.

Like other countries worldwide, African states also grapple with adopting and using emerging technologies. However, a widespread governance gap and low capacity for managing AI systems are on the scale in the African region. 47 countries in Africa lack AI strategies and plans for balancing benefits and risks, while 29 countries lack laws on data protection; moreover, 28 countries lack biosafety laws, and responsible institutions are putting little emphasis on biorisk management. On the Global Biolabs project, African countries scored poorly in biosafety, biosecurity, dual-use research governance, and overall biorisk management. The GHS index indicates that over half of African countries are vulnerable to biological threats. These governance gaps in both AI and Bio emphasize the importance of robust governance to ensure that advances in AI and bio are harnessed responsibly to improve the quality of life and foster growth the continent aspires. 

As these technologies are becoming more powerful, accessible, and affordable, the risks associated with them become a global problem. Countries with poor governance leave vulnerabilities that can have global implications. Governance Initiatives in Africa can provide valuable expertise for international governance efforts. This can lead to creating technologies that uplift communities, drive economic growth, and address challenges in a way that aligns with the continent's cultural and societal contexts. Supporting and ensuring governance in Africa is important because current trends show that countries in the region are not equipped to manage the risks emerging tech is posing due to low levels of awareness, capacity, and initiatives fostering commitment. By enhancing awareness, capability, and engagement with international efforts on risk governance of emerging technology in Africa. TGov will significantly impact and contribute immensely to preventing the harms of these emerging technologies.

Our Approach and Solution

Given the complex and unique challenges ahead of Africa due to rapid technological advancement, TGov is strategically positioned to improve awareness of risks and governance gaps, improve stakeholders' engagement with international governance efforts, and support them in devising effective governance.   We aim to achieve our approach through the following key strategies:

1. Research and Analysis: Conducting in-depth research and analysis to provide evidence and information that enables better understanding and decision-making among stakeholders.
2. Workshops and Discussions: To foster knowledge and understanding among the stakeholders by sharing findings and insights, enabling enhanced engagement and action.
3. Policy advancement:  Collaborating with stakeholders to evaluate, refine, and advance policy ideas, both advisory and non-advisory policies. 

Theory of Change 

Our theory of change outlines the high-level steps that will enable the project to have a significant impact.

AI Governance

Despite the widespread governance challenges and strategies for managing AI’s progress in Africa, a significant milestone was achieved with the recent continental AI strategy by the African Union (AU). The AU AI Strategy highlights the critical role of regional and international cooperation in Africa’s AI success and recommends active participation in global AI governance, ensuring Africa benefits from AI-driven growth while addressing shared risks. The continental strategy also mentioned several challenges limiting Africa’s ability to fully participate in global AI governance,^[1] which include: 

1. Limited representation in key discussions, which often occur outside the region, in distant, high-cost cities, making it difficult for many African stakeholders to attend.
2. Lack of information on global AI events that affect Africa hinders their participation.
3. Capacity deficits among African stakeholders on technical, complex discussions on global AI policy issues.
4. Brain drain issue, in which many African AI experts participate in international forums but do so outside African contexts, weakening the continent’s internal AI capacities.

The AU strategy recognized the need for initiatives to enhance capacity building and increase the participation of African stakeholders in global AI forum discussions. At TGov, we believe that Africa's participation in the global AI governance dialogue can help to ensure the continent's unique challenges, opportunities, and perspectives are properly represented. Governance frameworks created without African input risk overlooking socio-economic contexts or even exploiting African resources and data without equitable benefit. By being part of the process from the outset, African countries can contribute to shaping the global standards that will directly affect their economies, societies, and technological sovereignty.

Our analysis of AI governance initiatives at the continental level reveals several key trends and focus areas deployed in the region for managing AI risks both at continental and national level. Major governance efforts across Africa emphasize data privacy, the prevention of bias and discrimination, and ensuring safety and security in civilian and military applications. There is also a focus on promoting inclusivity, with initiatives deeply rooted in African values.

However, some areas have received less attention. These include mitigating labor displacement through reskilling, improving public awareness and AI literacy, managing digital sovereignty to avoid digital colonialism,  algorithmic bias, as well as evaluating the environmental impact of AI technologies.  

Given the challenges and gaps, our scope, and potential comparative advantage, we think of our opportunity to contribute to the effort. At this stage, we are planning our initial AI governance effort in Africa in two ways: 

1. Improving African stakeholders' participation in international fora that establish standards and redlines for individual countries to commit to/uphold. We aim to do this by identifying impactful multi-stakeholder forums and events, sharing them with African stakeholders, and what they could achieve via participation in such forums and joining information if necessary. Some initial agendas that we would likely highlight to the African stakeholders during our engagement with them will include:
   1. Advocating for limitations on the reckless AI race between the power countries, i.e., using the international forum to pressure the US and Chinese governments to implement domestic measures, such as establishing liability for AI developers.
   2. Advocating for participation in joint monitoring efforts of AI systems, with the goal of working towards mutual verification of national adherence to agreed-upon boundaries. This agenda will also contribute to capacity development among African stakeholders.
   3. Advocating for the establishment of:
      1. Oversight mechanisms to limit the proliferation of WMD-grade AI
      2. A mechanism for benefit sharing from transformative AI
      3. And a mechanism for accelerating work on the science of AI, among others.
2. Capacity building for knowledge sharing and advancement. This will include workshops and roundtable discussions to advance understanding of global AI governance, the importance of their participation, and synthesizing highlighted agendas for better comprehension and effective engagement.

Biorisk Governance

Globally, effective management of biological risks is essential to safeguard public health and prevent catastrophic biological harms, and Africa is no exception. The rapid advancement in biotechnology is heightening the potential for biological threats, including emerging infectious diseases, and the risks associated with accidental or deliberate misuse of biological agents. This underscores the urgent need for robust biorisk management. Africa's unique ecological landscapes and its developmental and regulatory gaps phases create a complex environment for biosafety and biosecurity considerations. Strengthening governance frameworks across Africa is essential to safeguard public health and environmental security.

Effective bio-risks governance in Africa is crucial for several reasons, which include:

1. Protection of rich biodiversity and genetic resources
2. Safe advancement of biotechnology research and development
3. Mitigation of vulnerabilities to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases with both regional or global implication
4. Optimization of limited resources and infrastructure

While efforts at regional and national levels make significant contributions to the biorisk governance in the continent, prominent challenges remain, including regulatory and capacity gaps, resource constraints, a lack of political will, and a low level of awareness and engagement. 

At this stage, our plan is to address awareness, capacity, and regulatory gaps, focusing on the following areas:

1. Improving lab safety and security
2. Improving risk measures on AIxBio vulnerabilities
3. Scaling up DNA synthesis measures in the continent

We believe it's crucial to contribute to these areas because there has been a significant increase in advanced research conducted in maximum containment facilities across Africa. Countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda have three or more BSL-3 labs dedicated to researching infectious pathogens with high-risk potential. However, there is a noticeable absence of regulatory frameworks guiding these facilities' establishment, operation, and handling of high-consequence pathogens. Additionally, as AI capabilities in biological synthesis and genetic engineering (which lower existing barriers to misuse and raise the ceiling of possible harm) are being increasingly adopted and advanced globally, including in Africa, the risk of misuse and production of biological harms is becoming more accessible, feasible, and effective (see Nelson and Rose, 2023, and Sandbrink, 2023). 

We have conducted prioritization research on biocontainment research capacities and AI integration potential in Africa to understand African countries' capacities and help us prioritize our support. Countries were prioritized based on existing infrastructure and research capacities, international collaborations, the presence of regulatory institutions, and Global Health Security and International Health Regulations indexes, among other criteria.

Our Progress Since Our launch in June 2024

1. We have finalized the continental landscape analysis of AI and Bio governance. Our landscape analyses focus on understanding the landscape of AI and bio-governance efforts in Africa, governance challenges, and emerging trends in governance efforts. The goal is to provide TGov with a better understanding of both AI and bio-governance activities in Africa, assist TGov in refining its interventions, and facilitate connections with appropriate stakeholders. These analyses also serve as a valuable resource for those interested in gaining insights into Africa's AI and bio-governance landscape, ultimately improving understanding and decision-making.
2. In a collaborative effort, we have responded to the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) white paper on the continental AI strategy. We expanded the section on why AU states should care about AI risks and provided insights on how the AU can contribute to and accelerate such an effort.
3. We have completed the initial analysis of the regional and international forums/coalitions that African countries can utilize to promote global AI governance or accelerate their participation in these platforms.
4. We have finalized our prioritization research on biocontainment research capacities and AI integration potential in Africa. This will enable us to allocate resources effectively where we believe our effort will lead to tangible outcomes.
5. Consultation with African Stakeholders: We are actively consulting with African stakeholders at regional and national levels, sharing our project, learning more about their priorities, and gaining more insights. We hope to shape our strategy and pilot projects based on the lessons we learn from these interactions.
6. Team Onboarding: I, Zakariyau Yusuf, launched the initiative in June 2024. By September 2024, two additional team members joined, contributing to our research and policy analysis.

Our Goal for the Next Seven (7) Months

1. Conduct pilots focus on AI in two countries, while one focuses on bio in one country. These pilots will allow us to test our concept and make necessary adjustments before we scale up.
2. Raise additional funds to cover our operating costs for the first year.
3. Adapt and refine our plan based on the insight from the pilots and fundraise for the subsequent year. 

Our Structure 

We are fiscally sponsored by the Players Philanthropy Fund (PPF), a Maryland-based charitable trust that operates as a public charity in the United States. Our team brings diverse experience in non-profit management, research, policy development, communication, and stakeholder engagement. Zakariyau Yusuf leads the overall strategy and operations of the TGov, while Edward Turner leads stakeholder engagement, conducts policy analysis, and provides capacity support for research. Dhruvin Patel joined us as a researcher and is contributing to content development.  Both Edward and Dhruvin are currently working part-time on the project. 

We are constantly networking and deepening our relationships with communities, including this community's “Effective Altruism (EA),” academia, and Global Catastrophic Risk (GCR) actors. We aim to continue drawing upon these networks, relationships, our internal advisors, and volunteers to engage with our key target stakeholders in Africa and beyond and achieve our mission. 

Opportunities to Get Involved

Our vision is a responsible technological development that empowers society and improves the quality of life for a brighter future. If you share this vision, there are several ways you can contribute:

1. Feedback & Guidance: we greatly value your feedback. If you have ideas, connections, or expertise that can accelerate our mission,  particularly at this early stage, please contact us at contact@tgov.org, post your comments below, or reach out via our website’s contact form.
2. Donate: We have received $58,000 in seed funding from the AI Safety Tactical Opportunities Funds, which has enabled us to launch and achieve our initial progress. We are still seeking to raise $30,134 to cover our first-year funding gap. Your donations are greatly appreciated. Depending on your country, tax-deductible options may be available. Please contact us directly for donation inquiries.
3. Stay in touch: Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with us on LinkedIn for updates on our work and opportunities to get involved. If you know anyone who might be interested in our mission, please feel free to share our information with them or connect them with us.

1. ^{^}

    See section 2.4.6.3 of the AU Continental AI Strategy: ‘Strengthen African Participation in Global AI Governance.’ https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/44004-doc-EN-_Continental_AI_Strategy_July_2024.pdf