🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
Burkina Faso parliamentarians undergo artificial intelligence training to enhance digital revolution oversight
via Lefaso.net4 min read
Burkina Faso's Legislative Assembly of the People ALP, in collaboration with the Permanent Secretariat for Innovation and Monitoring of Emerging Digital Technologies SPIVTEN, organized an artificial intelligence AI training session for parliamentarians in Ouagadougou on July 15, 2026. The session, presided over by ALP second vice-president Haoua Fofana, aimed to equip parliamentarians with a better understanding of AI's challenges, opportunities, and risks. Saïdou Yanogo, technical advisor to the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts, and Electronic Communications, emphasized the government's goal to leverage AI for national development. He highlighted previous initiatives, including a 2025 AI conference and the development of guidelines for ethical, inclusive, and responsible AI in Francophone Africa, adopted following a regional process led by Burkina Faso. Yanogo also mentioned existing data protection laws, the development of sovereign AI models in local languages, and research efforts in health, agriculture, and governance. He stressed that parliamentary involvement is crucial for the successful implementation of AI policies, as parliamentarians are responsible for examining and adopting future legislation to regulate AI use in Burkina Faso. Haoua Fofana underscored the necessity for legislators to understand AI to develop informed public policies, protect citizens' rights, stimulate innovation, and ensure AI serves humanity. She advocated for an evolution in the legisla
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