Education experts have called for greater adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa in ways that preserve the continent’s cultural and intellectual heritage.
The experts made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a two-day regional workshop on Open Educational Resources (OER) Practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, organised by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) through its Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL).
With the theme “Emerging Issues in OER Practices in the Age of AI,” the workshop brought together academics, policymakers, distance-learning leaders and education officials from six West African countries.
Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peter, described the event as timely in view of global conversations about the future of learning in an AI-driven world.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, Peter said African institutions must ensure that AI adoption reflects their cultural values.
“AI presents exciting possibilities for education, yet it must be used with great care. African institutions must lead with their values, not merely adopt foreign models,” he said.
“Our knowledge systems, our histories and our cultural perspectives matter deeply. We must build tools and policies that reflect the realities of our people. NOUN will continue to champion open, accessible and culturally grounded learning.”
He urged participants to strengthen regional collaboration beyond the two-day programme.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director of RETRIDOL, Prof. Dorothy Ofoha, said the workshop came at a period when institutions across the world were reassessing the role of AI in knowledge delivery.
She noted that while AI offers opportunities for flexible and inclusive learning, Africa must guard against adopting technologies that override local values.
“We are entering a period of profound change in how knowledge is created and shared. AI has the power to support more flexible, inclusive and high-quality learning,” she said.
“Yet we must ensure these tools do not override our cultural and educational values. Africa must use AI to strengthen, not dilute, our systems.”
She said participants would work on frameworks and policies that support OER development enhanced by AI but rooted in African contexts.
In her remarks, Prof. Jane-Frances Agbu, Adviser on Higher Education at COL, Vancouver, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to widening access to learning across the Commonwealth through openness, collaboration and technology.
“Artificial Intelligence is reshaping education at an unprecedented speed. The challenge before us is to ensure that openness and equity remain at the centre,” she said.
“OER must continue to serve as trusted digital public goods for all learners. African languages and knowledge systems must stay central in this evolution.”
(NAN)
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.