The Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) brought together students from South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius and Seychelles for the Africa Regional Cohort Launch of the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance, held virtually on 19 August 2026. The launch brought students from across the continent together to begin working collectively on AI issues relevant to their countries and to contribute to the wider Commonwealth dialogue on AI governance.

In his address, Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, spoke about Africa’s growing engagement with artificial intelligence and the need for young people to have a meaningful role in shaping technologies that will significantly influence their future. He also drew attention to opportunities for African countries to develop AI solutions around local needs, data and priorities.

Students then participated in three group discussions examining the challenges and concerns surrounding AI in their contexts, identifying priorities and considering how the student community could respond.

The discussions raised concerns including unequal access to digital resources and AI literacy, gaps in AI-specific policies, the limited availability of African datasets, bias in AI systems, data privacy, misinformation, over-reliance on AI, and the impact of AI on creativity and critical thinking. Students also discussed concerns around the use of AI detection tools in education and the need for clearer approaches to responsible AI adoption.

Among the ideas proposed were developing AI systems with African data and context, strengthening AI literacy, making AI tools more accessible through universities and institutions, creating policies for responsible AI use, upskilling people to work alongside AI rather than being displaced by it, and organising workshops, awareness programmes and cross-African collaborations. Students also saw opportunities for the community to connect with scholars and professionals across sectors and countries to develop locally relevant approaches to AI governance.

The regional launch marks the participation of students from seven more African countries in the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance, creating a platform for continued collaboration within Africa and with student communities across the Commonwealth.