AI systems can amplify both value and harm. They may introduce bias into credit decisions, rank candidates unfairly, or misclassify transactions. African organisations adopting AI need to consider ethics and governance from the outset.
Practical steps include defining principles for fairness, transparency and accountability; documenting training data and model behaviour; and establishing review processes for high-impact use cases.
Governance structures should clarify who is responsible for approvals, how models are monitored in production, and how issues are escalated. Input from legal, compliance, risk and affected business units is essential.
By embedding ethics and governance into AI programmes, organisations can reduce the risk of harm, build trust with stakeholders, and position themselves as responsible innovators in the African digital ecosystem.