The African Hub on AI Safety, Peace and Security has been launched at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on the margins of the G20 2025 ministerial meetings. As part of the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) network, the hub aims to address urgent risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence within African contexts. Co-funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the initiative strengthens responsible AI ecosystems by enabling experts in developing countries to design and lead solutions tailored to their development challenges.
Anchored at the University of Cape Town and co-led by the Global Center on AI Governance, the hub will advance research, policy, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure African priorities are represented in global AI safety discussions. It will also contribute to strengthening democratic resilience, promoting peace, and fostering inclusive development across the continent.
The launch event, held on 28 September at the university’s Neville Alexander Building, featured speakers including Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela, IDRC Vice-President Maggie Gorman Vélez, and Emily Middleton from the United Kingdom Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
This hub is the twelfth multidisciplinary AI lab within the AI4D–FCDO network in sub-Saharan Africa and the first to focus specifically on policy and governance issues. Collectively, the network of labs is building the next generation of AI talent and promoting local capacity to research, develop, and scale responsible and inclusive AI innovations across the region.
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