Defense Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya officially opened the Africa regional Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military (REAIM) workshop at Emara Ole Sereni in Nairobi on wednesday,a milestone event in Africa’s evolving AI governance landscape for defense.
This regional workshop operates under the broader global REAIM initiative, which promotes the ethical and controlled integration of AI in military contexts.
The event was co-hosted by Kenya’s Ministry of Defence, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Republic of Korea, and brought together defense officials, technologists, and legal experts from across Africa and beyond.
In her opening remarks, CS Tuya highlighted the significance of regional cooperation in navigating the complex intersection of defense and artificial intelligence:
“We are committed to ethical, accountable and human-centric AI governance in military operations,” she said, underscoring Kenya’s dedication to both security and global standards.
She referenced Kenya’s leadership at last year’s global REAIM Summit in Seoul, where the nation contributed to the REAIM Blueprint for Action, a guiding framework designed to uphold transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in military AI use.
The workshop serves as a critical forum for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building. Among speakers, Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Charles Kahariri, emphasized the need for comprehensive frameworks surrounding data privacy, security, and ethical oversight.
He called on policymakers, technologists, and ethicists to collaborate closely in balancing innovation with governance
Supporting Tuya’s emphasis on collaboration were diplomatic representatives: Korean Ambassador H.E. Won Ik Lee, and Netherlands Chief Information Officer, Jeroen van de Vlugt,who reiterated the extraordinary potential of AI as an enabling technology.
They warned, however, that deliberate safeguards are essential to protect international law and address associated risks
REAIM Nairobi follows Kenya’s active participation in the 2024 global REAIM Summit in Seoul.
There, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence championed the development of the REAIM Blueprint for Action and committed to advancing the UN’s resolution on responsible military AI
