West African countries must utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance accountability in governance and improve parliamentary efficiency, the regional economic bloc states.
At a recent seminar for legislators in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), AI was highlighted as a vital tool to enhance ethical governance and promote development within the 12-member bloc.
The seminar focused on how lawmakers can tap AI to accelerate the legislative process and make it more efficient, without sacrificing the principles of democracy, trust, and accountability.
According to Christian Odo, who spoke to the legislators as a resource person on the technology, AI could “transform various aspects of parliamentary work, from streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing legislative research and improving public engagement process, as well as parliamentary transparency efforts.”
Odo, who heads the ICT division of Nigeria’s National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, added that AI could compensate for ECOWAS’ resource and oversight deficiencies.
ECOWAS is a regional economic and political organization established in 1975 with 12 members after the withdrawal of three military-led countries earlier this year. It’s headquartered in Abuja.
Speaking at the seminar, deputy speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Jubrin Barau, called on regional legislators to sharpen their AI skills so they can formulate policies that promote its uptake and protect the people against its risks.
“AI is reshaping governance, economies, and societies worldwide. For us, legislators entrusted with the sacred duty of representation, lawmaking, and oversight, AI presents opportunities to enhance efficiency, strengthen accountability, and promote development,” he stated.
Cautious optimism
But while the legislators and industry experts believe AI holds great promise for the region, they noted that it comes with a set of risks that the people must be protected from.
One of them is the disruption of the job market. Multiple reports have revealed that AI will eliminate millions of jobs globally; in Africa, it’s projected to wipe out 40% of the continent’s $35 billion tech outsourcing sector.
“AI has come to stay, and we must find a way to mitigate its risks. There is a need for rigorous sensitization and enlightenment to ensure it does not lead to massive job losses in our region,” Gambian legislator Billay Tunkara told the attendees.
While there will be job losses and transformations, generative AI is also expected to add up to $1.5 trillion to the African economy by the decade’s end.
The West African legislators also expressed concern over AI centralization as the region is fully dependent on Western AI platforms that fail to account for local nuances.
Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Nigeria’s Rivers State, called for AI to be “domesticated to accommodate our traditional governance structures alongside emerging ecosystems.”
Hadjaratou Traore, the deputy speaker at the regional assembly, concurred, stating, “But we must be mindful that this technology was developed by Asian and Western countries that control its use. Our focus should be on how to domesticate and mainstream it, taking into account our ethics.”
Nigerian data breach exposes president, VP’s personal information
In Nigeria, a digital rights activist group has claimed that a massive data breach has exposed the personal information of the country’s top leadership, including the President, his deputy, and several ministers.
Lagos-based Pan-African group Paradigm Initiative alleged there has been consistent data leaks over the past three years in Nigeria, and that this data is now on sale on the dark web.
“The data security problem is serious. Data belonging to the President, Vice President, National Security Adviser, top military officials, ministers, and other senior government officials are also available online to anyone who knows their full name and date of birth,” said the group’s executive director, Gbenga Sesan.
Sesan warned that the information could be used to impersonate these officials, “get SIM cards, or even take loans.”
He alleged that the government has been brushing the concerns away, but pledged to continue pursuing legal redress. Paradigm has filed a lawsuit in court but believes more must be done. Sesan called on the Nigeria Data Protection Commission to crack down on government agencies that continue to leak sensitive information.
Globally, data breaches have skyrocketed in recent years, with AI accelerating the challenge. According to cybersecurity firm Surfshark, over 5.5 billion accounts were breached last year, a sharp spike from 730 million in 2023, equating to 180 accounts cracked every second.
In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek’s coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI.
Watch: Tech redefines how things are done—Africa is here for it
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Source: https://coingeek.com/west-africa-pushes-for-democracy-with-ai-data-breach-hits-nigeria/
