Veritas University becomes first African institution to adopt ethical AI governance framework
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Veritas University, Abuja, has become the first university in Africa to formally commit to ethical artificial intelligence governance by signing the Humanitas AI Compact. This cross-sector framework aims to ensure that AI development and deployment prioritize human dignity and the common good. The university's Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Ben Agande, disclosed this development. The signing is Veritas University's institutional response to the Magnifica Humanitas, a papal declaration by Pope Leo XIV, which calls on universities to take responsibility for the ethical governance of AI. The physical signing ceremony took place during the university's 154th Senate meeting. The Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Professor Hyacinth Ichoku, signed the compact on behalf of the institution, stating it directly responds to the Pope's call for academic leadership in shaping AI's ethical direction. Other signatories included Professor Emeka Aniagolu of the Institute for African American Studies, Abuja; Elder Solomon Appiah-Wilson of the Commonwealth Forum, London; Dr. Sam Amadi of the Centre for AI, Digital Justice and Economic Rights; and Dr. Mehad Nasreldin of the African Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa. Professor Ichoku emphasized that the compact was born from the papal message, stressing that universities must guide technology's moral and social implications. He explained that the papal declaration's message focuses on protecting vulnerable populations an
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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