Vodacom wants African AI rules to be lighter than Europe's. In a policy paper written with law firm Bowmans and released on Wednesday, the operator urged governments not to adopt the EU AI Act wholesale, warning that European-scale compliance could "stifle innovation, price out emerging African developers and delay equitable access to locally relevant AI", TechCentral reported.
The timing is pointed. South Africa's communications minister, Solly Malatsi, withdrew the country's draft AI policy in April after fictitious references were found in it. His department now aims to publish a revised version in the first quarter of next year.
What the paper proposes
- A lead coordination body, ideally inside an existing ministry or regulator, instead of a new standalone AI agency
- Sector regulators enforcing AI rules in their own domains, plus a multi-stakeholder advisory council
- Risk judged locally: credit scoring by AI should count as higher risk where most workers are informal
- Plain-language disclosures in local languages and non-digital ways to challenge AI decisions
- A three-phase roadmap ending with independent audits and registries of high-risk systems
The paper cites a European Commission estimate of €6,000 to €7,000 in compliance costs per AI application, a figure the commission applies to an average high-risk system. It notes that about 86% of Africa's workforce is in the informal sector, and that the African Union's Malabo Convention on cybersecurity and data protection has been ratified by only 20 of 55 member states.
"Africa must have a meaningful voice in shaping the rules that will govern its AI future," said Ayman Essam, Vodacom's group chief officer for external affairs.
