Morocco’s FM Joins AU Peace and Security Talks, Calls for African Action on AI Risks

Agadir – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, took part in a ministerial meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council on Thursday, focused on the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for governance, peace, and security across Africa.

During the session, the Moroccan minister said his participation builds on the first ministerial meeting of the Council dedicated to AI, held on March 20  last year under Morocco’s presidency. 

Bourita said the  recommendations adopted at that meeting have made notable progress, particularly with the adoption of the African Declaration on AI, which outlines plans to establish a continental fund dedicated to the technology.

He said Morocco considers AI as a strategic lever for sovereignty, development, and public action, in line with its national strategy to integrate the technology across sectors such as tourism and trade.

“The minister welcomed ambitious continental initiatives, including the establishment of an AI Advisory Group, reaffirming the Kingdom’s full support for African actions aimed at ensuring equitable and sovereign access to this technology,” the ministry further stated. 

Addressing the challenges associated with AI, Morocco’s FM pointed to governance concerns, particularly the spread of manipulated content and disinformation campaigns that could affect democratic processes and erode trust in institutions. 

To tackle these risks, the minister called for the establishment of African monitoring and rapid response mechanisms to counter information manipulation, alongside systems to detect hate speech and manage information crises. 

He also emphasized the need to strengthen African human capital in AI-related fields and to develop continent-wide frameworks for engagement with digital platforms, identifying key areas for cooperation to address shared challenges. 

Bourita reaffirmed Morocco’s support for African efforts to promote a sovereign, responsible, and people-centered approach to AI, citing national initiatives such as the “Morocco Digital 2030” strategy and the “AI Made in Morocco” program.

A major step into this vision was marked during this  year’s edition of GITEX Africa in Marrakech, where a strategic partnership agreement brought together key public stakeholders, including the Ministry of Digital Transition, the Ministry of Energy Transition, regional authorities in Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, the Mohammed VI Investment Fund, and the CDG Group.

The agreement coordinates national efforts to advance the “Digital Igoudar” program, which aims to develop a new generation of green data centers in Dakhla with a targeted capacity of 500 megawatts.

“The program is based on the development of an infrastructure structured around two complementary components: a sovereign component designed to meet national needs and a private investment component open to national and international actors,” the Ministry of Digital Transition said in a press statement. 

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