By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Smart Africa Chief Executive
Officer Lacina Koné has called for artificial intelligence in government to
focus on improving citizens’ lives, stressing the importance of digital public
infrastructure, regional interoperability and investment in scalable solutions
across Africa.
Koné shared Smart Africa’s
perspective on Public AI and Digital Services at the AI and Digital Ministerial
Meeting during the Global AI & Digital Summit 2026 in Seoul, South Korea.
The meeting was co-organised by the Republic of Korea and the World Bank Group.
“The real measure of AI in
government is not how intelligent our systems become, but how effectively they
improve the lives of our citizens,” Koné said.
He said achieving this in
Africa required strong Digital Public Infrastructure, regional interoperability
and investment in solutions that could scale.
Through the Smart Africa
Trust Alliance (SATA) and Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX), Koné said,
countries were demonstrating how digital systems could be connected while
preserving national sovereignty.
“AI should not simply
digitise bureaucracy. It should reimagine public services around the citizen,
creating greater dignity, opportunity and prosperity for our people,” he said.
