COMMUNIQUE?

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1339^th meeting on “Artificial Intelligence: Governance, Peace and Security”, held on Thursday, 16 April 2026.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous PSC decisions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, in particular Communiqués PSC/PR/COMM.1214 (2024) and PSC/MIN/COMM.1267 (2025);

Also taking note of the AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2024), and its emphasis on harnessing AI for development, building capabilities, minimizing risks, stimulating investment, and fostering cooperation;

Acknowledging the outcomes of the High-Level Policy Dialogue on AI organized by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in collaboration with the AU Commission, held in Addis Ababa in May 2025, which underscored AI as a strategic priority for Africa;

Further acknowledging the outcomes of the 3^rd African Startup Conference held under the theme: ‘Reimagining Africa through Artificial Intelligence’, in Algiers from 5 to 7 December 2024;

Recognizing the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence shaping global governance, with profound implications for sovereignty, development, peace and security, while emphasizing the need to urgently harness the opportunities presented by AI while mitigating associated risks, including disinformation, cyber threats, data exploitation, and misuse in conflict settings;

Taking note of the opening statements by H.E. Dr. Gedion Timothewos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the PSC for April 2026, and by H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AU Commission, read on his behalf by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs Peace and Security; as well as the briefings delivered by H.E. Dr. Worku Gachena Negera, Director General of Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute; Mr. Samson Itodo, Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence; and Mr. Bernardo Mariano Junior, Assistant Secretary-General, Chief Information Technology Officer, UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (UNOICT); and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Reaffirms Africa’s sovereign right to harness artificial intelligence for peace, security, and development, in accordance with international law and African priorities; calls for the development of AI systems in African languages to enhance inclusivity, cultural preservation, and social cohesion; while taking into consideration the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance conflict prevention, mediation, peace support operations, and post-conflict reconstruction;

2. Welcomes the AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2024) and requests Member States to accelerate its implementation, including through the development of national AI strategies aligned with Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda;

3. Also welcomes the theme of the Year for 2027: “AU at the Dawn of its 25^th Anniversary: Leveraging the Full Potential of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and New Technologies for Continental Integration,” adopted through Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.952(XXXIX)] by the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, 14-15 February 2026, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and underscores the growing relevance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in advancing Africa’s peace, security, governance and integration agenda, in line with Agenda 2063;

4. Acknowledges the designation of H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, as the African Union Champion for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health through Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.966(XXXIX)] adopted by 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, 14-15 February 2026, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and expresses support for his efforts in this regard;

5. Emphasizes the need for Africa to shape and control its AI technology and ensure Africa’s AI sovereignty in the entire AI ecosystem;

6. Underscores the importance of ensuring that global AI governance frameworks and processes are inclusive, representative, and stresses the need to strengthen African participation in global norm-setting processes through coordinated positions and strategic engagements within multilateral platforms;

7. Welcomes the efforts deployed by the AU Commission through the AI Advisory Group on Governance, Peace and Security and takes note  of the progress made on the development of the Policy Brief on AI for Peace, Security and Governance in Africa; and requests the Commission to expedite the finalization of the comprehensive study and the Common African Position on AI and its Impact on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in Africa, in line with the relevant PSC decisions  and submit to the PSC for its consideration;

8. Emphasizes the need for the development and deployment of AI technologies must be guided by principles of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, ethical governance, benefit sharing, social cohesion and full respect for international law;

9. Advocates for the progressive development of context-specific and adaptable AI governance and regulatory frameworks/charter, aligned with international humanitarian law, and principles of meaningful human control;

10. Underscores the importance of safeguarding Africa’s digital and data sovereignty, ensuring that AI development and governance reflect the continent’s values, cultures, diversity, and development priorities, while preventing digital exploitation, unequal benefit-sharing and promoting digital industrial policies that support inter alia data localization, technology transfer and disclosure of source code to ensure digital catchup;

11. Requests the AU Commission to progressively integrate AI-enabled tools into AGA and APSA, in particular the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) in the areas of data collection and analysis, risk mapping, scenario building and predictive analytics, with due consideration to ethical governance and capacity constraints;

12. Expresses concern over the risks associated with the misuse of AI technologies, including cybercrime, disinformation, privacy violations, technology-facilitated violence and the potential weaponization of AI, particularly in conflict settings; in this regard, highlights the need to bridge the global and continental asymmetry in AI capabilities, including access to electricity, computing power, high-quality datasets, infrastructure and technical expertise, and calls for enhanced efforts to build African capacity in these critical areas;

13. Calls for increased investment in Africa’s AI ecosystem, including digital infrastructure, data systems, computing capacity, and human capital development, including through the establishment of multi-stakeholder and multilevel governance systems;

14. Requests the AU Commission to expedite the establishment of an African Fund for AI, following due process, to finance the continent AI infrastructures and startups, including targeted support for African youth-led technology enterprises, in line with the Youth, Peace and Security agenda;

15. Commends ongoing national efforts by Member States aimed at strengthening AI capacity, including initiatives to establish specialized institutions, research centres and training programmes, which can serve as reference points for broader continental cooperation;

16. Directs the African Union Commission to explore the establishment of an African Centre of Excellence on Artificial Intelligence, following due process, with a view to strengthening research, policy coordination, technical expertise and capacity-building for Member States, as well as to facilitate the responsible integration of AI in the peace and security architecture;

17. Encourages the institutionalization of an African network of National AI centres to coordinate African efforts to speak with a common and influential African voice on the future of AI;

18. Emphasizes the need for enhanced cooperation among Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the private sector, academia, civil society and international partners to mobilize resources, facilitate technology transfer and support Africa’s AI ecosystem;

19. Requests the AU Commission, in collaboration with the Advisory Group, to continue monitoring developments in artificial intelligence and submit periodic reports to the Council; including emerging risks, opportunities and governance development, with recommendations on regulatory policies and frameworks;

20. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

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