KIGALI

Rwanda President Paul Kagame has urged Africa to take an active role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence, saying the continent has the knowledge and talent needed to compete globally and should not accept being left behind.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Kagame said many Africans already have the expertise needed to develop AI systems, with some working for institutions and companies at the forefront of the technology.

“Many Africans have that knowledge. In fact, sometimes they are the ones working for those institutions or those companies that develop AI systems,” Kagame said.

He said Africa must address broader challenges that prevent the continent from competing on an equal footing with other parts of the world.

“We need to resolve a bigger problem on our continent where we need to be at the same level with the rest across the world, because we can,” Kagame said. “Why is it just a given that Africa must lag behind everybody?”

Self-reliance

Kagame emphasized the importance of self-reliance, saying the principle extends beyond technology to governance and public service delivery.

“Self-reliance is in many aspects. It’s not just in technology and different systems. Self-reliance goes into other areas, even of governance,” Kagame said.

He pointed to Rwanda’s experience in governance and service delivery as an example of what countries can achieve by making effective use of the resources available to them.

“In Rwanda there are so many things we have done in areas of governance and service delivery, some people will wonder whether we don’t have more resources than we are known for,” Kagame said. “How does a poor country get to be here? That is delivered by that mindset of self-reliance.”

Kagame said achieving results does not necessarily depend on the amount of resources a country has, but on how it approaches its challenges.

“Do whatever you can within your means. There are people who have the means and they can’t deliver,” Kagame said. “In fact, some people have a lot, in terms of means, and they don’t deliver much. It’s a question of how do you want to approach the problem. It doesn’t matter the size.”

He said Rwanda’s relatively small size has not stopped the country from seeking solutions within its means.

“Rwanda is not by any standard a big country. We are one of the smallest countries in the world, but that does not stop us looking around for what we can do within our means, and doing it,” Kagame said.

Kagame’s remarks emphasized his call for African countries to strengthen their own capabilities and play a greater role in developing emerging technologies, rather than accept a position in which the continent consistently trails other parts of the world.