6.3 KiB
IGF 2026 WS #318 Ethics and Risks: A Take on AI by Africa's PWDs
Description
As Africa accelerates its digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a profound paradox for the continent's 80+ million Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
On one hand, AI serves as a revolutionary assistive technology. From real-time sign language interpretation to image translation for the visually impaired, AI has the unprecedented potential to act as a bridge to internet equality, dismantling historical accessibility barriers. It forces a paradigm shift that revolutionises the very definition of disability, proving that disability is not a personal deficit, but a mismatch between a person and a poorly designed environment that AI can help correct.
However, the deployment of these systems introduces severe ethical risks and the looming threat of "algorithmic ableism."
AI systems, ranging from automated recruitment tools to biometric healthcare diagnostics, are frequently trained on datasets that exclude the unique physiological, linguistic, and socio-economic realities of African PWDs. The African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, adopted in July 2024, explicitly names disability inclusion, calling for accessible datasets, skills, and governance. Yet, a vast implementation gap remains between high-level policy and grassroots reality.
This session centres the voices of renowned African disability champions to transition the narrative from "AI as a tool for the disabled" to "AI built with and governed by the disabled."
Policy Question(s)
A. How do we ensure that foundational AI models reflect the diverse realities of African PWDs, preventing automated discrimination in high-stakes areas like healthcare and employment?
B. How can international frameworks like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the EU AI Act be synthesised with Africa's unique infrastructure to shift the governance narrative, using AI to fix systemic barriers rather than "normalising" individuals?
C. How can African governments accelerate the rollout of AI as an assistive technology (e.g., culturally relevant text-to-speech, predictive accessibility tools) to guarantee unprecedented internet equality for PWDs?
Expected Outcomes
Attendees will leave with a critical understanding of AI's dual nature in the Global South: its capacity to inadvertently codify discrimination, balanced against its power to revolutionise digital inclusion.
Policymakers and developers will gain actionable frameworks to integrate intersectional data representation into the early stages of AI model development. Participants will learn how to operationalise the AU Continental AI Strategy and global benchmarks to protect digital rights while scaling AI as a foundational assistive technology.
The session will produce a Policy Brief on Inclusive AI Governance in Africa, summarising concrete guidelines for mitigating algorithmic ableism. This will directly feed into the African Union’s AI Strategy implementation working groups and UN Global Digital Compact consultations.
Additionally, we will launch an ongoing "African Inclusive AI" Community of Practice to track post-IGF policy integration, share accessible open-source datasets, and host quarterly virtual dialogues.
Reference Document
Reference Document
Format
Classroom Duration (minutes): 90 Format description: The 90-minute duration and classroom format have been specifically selected to maximise both engagement and accessibility.
The 90-minute timeframe provides the necessary depth to unpack complex intersections of AI policy, technology, disability, and human rights. It allows ample time for robust Q&A, ensuring the session captures diverse inputs and opinions from both expert speakers and participants.
The forward-facing orientation creates a structured environment with clear, unobstructed sightlines. It provides ease in delivering necessary disability accommodations. It ensures that sign language interpreters stationed at the front are highly visible to all attendees, and that onscreen closed captions can be easily read on primary displays without attendees needing to turn or shift.
Furthermore, classroom layout perfectly supports seamless involvement of remote participants, allowing camera configurations to easily capture the panel and integrate hybrid inputs without spatial friction, while the wider, straight aisles allow for barrier-free mobility for wheelchair users.
Hybrid Format
Hybrid Format: To ensure equal engagement in the hybrid format, we will employ a Dual-Moderator Strategy. An experienced on-site moderator will guide the panel and room, while dedicated online moderator will manage virtual hand-raises, monitor chats, and synthesise text-based questions.
The session will be on strict, interactive time-blocks to prevent audience fatigue and maintain momentum across time zones.
To support full accessibility, screen shares and presentations will have real-time closed captioning and sign language feeds pinned to the primary hybrid view.
We will leverage extensive networks of KICTANet, a recognised leader in ICT policy and digital rights, to mobilise participants across civil society, government, tech, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities.
In the weeks leading up to the IGF, we will run coordinated campaigns across X, LinkedIn, and mailing lists, sharing key discussion prompts, our speakers, and inviting early input, driving broad global attention and ensuring a highly engaged hybrid audience.
Organizers
Organizer 1: Nicodemus Nyakundi, KICTANet (Kenya ICT Action Network) Organizer 2: Florence Ouma, KICTANet Organizer 3: Cherie Oyier, Kenya ICT Action Network
Speakers
Speaker 1: Florence Ouma, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 2: Nicodemus Nyakundi, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 3: Cherie Oyier, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 4: Minayo Angela, Civil Society, African Group
Moderator
Nicodemus Nyakundi, Civil Society, African Group
Online Moderator
Cherie Oyier, Civil Society, African Group
Rapporteur
Florence Ouma, Civil Society, African Group
Participant Benefits
What will participants gain from attending this session?
SDGs
4.5 8.5 9.5 9.c 10.2 10.3 16.7 16.b 17.16