Flagship Programme

AI Policy
Summer
School

Africa's most significant regional AI governance capacity programme — reaching 1,000+ practitioners across three regions in a single, sustained continental arc.

1,068
Total Participants
20+
Countries Reached
3
Regional Editions
Total Reach
1,068
participants
885+
Orgs
20+
Countries
Peak Edition
Southern Africa
750 participants
Judicial Engagement
9
judges
High Court & magistrates
Edition Scale
West185
Southern750
North133
1,068 participants trained across 3 regional editions885+ organisations engaged from 20+ African countries750 participants — Southern Africa edition becomes Africa's largest AI governance convening3 High Court Justices from Ghana attend West Africa editionFirst Model West Africa AI Governance Roadmap co-developed by 9 countries49 PhD students engaged in South Africa editionAU AI Working Group and Africa CDC join continental network17 Francophone participants bridge Anglophone-Francophone divide in West AfricaPan-African AI Policy Network established across all 3 regions6-month continental arc completed: West → Southern → North Africa1,068 participants trained across 3 regional editions885+ organisations engaged from 20+ African countries750 participants — Southern Africa edition becomes Africa's largest AI governance convening3 High Court Justices from Ghana attend West Africa editionFirst Model West Africa AI Governance Roadmap co-developed by 9 countries49 PhD students engaged in South Africa editionAU AI Working Group and Africa CDC join continental network17 Francophone participants bridge Anglophone-Francophone divide in West AfricaPan-African AI Policy Network established across all 3 regions6-month continental arc completed: West → Southern → North Africa1,068 participants trained across 3 regional editions885+ organisations engaged from 20+ African countries750 participants — Southern Africa edition becomes Africa's largest AI governance convening3 High Court Justices from Ghana attend West Africa editionFirst Model West Africa AI Governance Roadmap co-developed by 9 countries49 PhD students engaged in South Africa editionAU AI Working Group and Africa CDC join continental network17 Francophone participants bridge Anglophone-Francophone divide in West AfricaPan-African AI Policy Network established across all 3 regions6-month continental arc completed: West → Southern → North Africa
MAR 2026
01
West Africa
Accra, Ghana · 185 participants · 9 countries
02
Southern Africa
Cape Town, South Africa · 750 participants · 10 countries
03
North Africa
Cairo, Egypt · 133 participants · 11 countries
Regional Editions · 3 Convenings

Explore the Editions

17–18 February 2026

AI Policy Summer School – South Africa Edition

Strengthening Multidisciplinary Capacity for Responsible AI Governance in Africa

750
Participants
10
Countries
613
Organisations
Cape Town
Host City
University of Cape Town (UCT)
Institution
750 professionals from 10+ countries received structured exposure to AI governance frameworks including EU AI Act, AU AI Strategy, and rights-based AI principles
Applied regional AI policy priorities workshop produced a mapped, participant-generated picture of Africa's most urgent AI governance needs
Direct engagement of 6 judges and judicial institutions on AI and electronic evidence
UCT strengthened as a continental anchor institution for AI law and policy education
Research ICT Africa's 'Just AI' framework presented and discussed, advancing evidence-based evaluation of continental AI strategies
Top Countries
South Africa253
Zimbabwe22
Malawi17
Botswana15
Zambia13
Sector Breakdown
Private Sector & Other Professional49.9%
Academia & Research23.9%
Legal Profession21.3%
Government & Policy3.5%
Civil Society & NGO1.5%
Cross-Regional Analysis

Comparative Insights

Participation by Region
West Africa185 (17.3%)
Southern Africa750 (70.2%)
North Africa133 (12.5%)
Sector Comparison
Legal Profession
West 22.7%South 21.3%North 39.8%
Policy / Government / Management
West 27.6%South 3.5%North 46.6%
Academia & Research / Students
West 22.2%South 23.9%North 14.3%
Technology & Digital
West 13%North 14.3%
Private Sector & Other Professional
West 13.5%South 49.9%
Civil Society & NGOs
West 1.1%South 1.5%North 2.3%
Programme Timeline

The Continental Journey

2025-11

West Africa

First regional edition — Laying the continental foundation

185 participants
2026-02

Southern Africa

Peak edition — 750 participants, UCT anchor institution

750 participants
2026-03

North Africa

Final regional edition — Completing the continental arc

133 participants
Results

Programme Outcomes

West Africa

Model West Africa AI Governance Roadmap

The first practitioner-authored AI governance roadmap for West Africa, co-developed by participants across 9 countries and structured around 5 pillars: Regulation, Capacity Building, Innovation, Inclusion, and Collaboration.

Southern Africa

Regional AI Policy Priorities Workshop

An applied, participant-generated mapping of Africa's most urgent AI governance needs, with follow-up policy brief development.

All Regions

Pan-African AI Policy Network

A permanent mechanism for regional knowledge-sharing, joint advocacy, and coordinated engagement with the African Union and global AI governance bodies.

Voices

From the Movement

What began as a single national convening has become a continental movement — a living network of practitioners committed to ensuring that AI governance in Africa is shaped by Africans.

LH
Lawyers Hub Programme Assessment

The completion of the North Africa edition means that for the first time, structured AI governance capacity building has reached across all three of Africa's major sub-regions in a single, sustained continental programme.

LH
Programme Summary, Lawyers Hub 2026
Looking Ahead

Future Roadmap

The completion of the North Africa edition marks the end of the beginning. The foundation is now in place for sustained, institutionalised pan-African AI governance capacity building.

20261,000

East Africa Edition

Natural next convening centred on Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the broader East African Community.

2026

Pan-African AI Governance State of Play

Synthesis report drawing on all three editions, mapping regional capacity gaps, policy priorities, and recommendations for the AU.

Ongoing

Formalisation of the Pan-African AI Policy Network

Working groups, a digital collaboration platform, and an annual summit.

2026

Judicial AI Literacy Programme

Specialised strand for judges, magistrates, and prosecutors building on strong judicial representation across all editions.

2026

Curriculum Development

Open-access, replicable AI governance training framework for African institutions.

2026–2027

Expansion into Francophone Africa

Building the cross-linguistic bridge essential to true continental coverage.

Resources

Download the Reports

Access the complete impact and statistics reports for each regional edition.