For the past six months, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT) and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), supported by GIZ FAIR Forward and The Future Society (TFS), have partaken in a multi-stakeholder process to develop a National AI Policy framework and implementation plan for the Republic of Rwanda. The framework’s mission is to accelerate AI adoption by enabling the rapid growth of Rwanda’s AI ecosystem, fostering the adoption of AI in high-growth sectors, and scaling public and private sector investment in AI. The ultimate goal is to promote and foster Rwanda’s inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transformation.

The process for designing the framework launched with a collective intelligence workshop in September 2020, in which a diverse set of stakeholders gathered to identify and prioritize key AI opportunities, risks, and socio-ethical implications in the country. Since September, the team has continued to gather perspectives from government representatives, private sector leaders, academics, and members of civil society in order to prepare a draft national AI policy.

This second collective intelligence workshop will discuss the key sections of the draft national AI policy, including seven concrete categories for policy intervention and implementation pathways plan for each. It will facilitate a conversation to gather participant input and to collectively fine-tune and polish the framework and implementation plan. While the workshop was originally intended to take place in Kigali, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates the virtual format (Zoom).