The African Union, through its African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (AU-ASRIC), has appointed Professor Isa Pantami as Co-Chairman to lead the development of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) Policy and Strategy for the 54 African nations.
Professor Pantami, who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, is a recognized authority in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He is notably the first African Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security in the UK.
During his tenure as Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Pantami established the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and was pivotal in crafting Nigeria’s inaugural digital economy policy, which emphasized digital society and emerging technologies.
The other Co-Chair on the council is Professor Anicia Nicola Peter from Namibia’s National Commission on Research, Science, and Technology.
An adjunct research professor at the University of Namibia, she chaired Namibia’s 4IR Presidential Task Force and focuses her research on areas such as human-computer interaction, social media, gamification, e-government, and AI.
The council also includes esteemed academics and policymakers such as Professor Khaleed Ghedira from Tunisia, Professor Maha Grima from Morocco, and Professors Mongi Nouira and Munir Frija.
Once the 4IR policy is adopted by the African Union, it will be implemented across all member states.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers Africa a chance to leapfrog in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, and cybersecurity, with contributions from policymakers, industry leaders, and academics.
The efforts of the African Union and AU-ASRIC’s Executive Director, Dr. Muhammad Kyari, have been lauded by experts for their forward-thinking approach to driving Africa’s industrialization in the 21st century.
