THE QUIVIVE GLOBAL FOUNDATION

CONGRESS COMMUNIQUE

Subject: Advancing Youth-led AI Innovation in Africa Through Harmonized Governance,

Strategic Investment, and Regional Collaboration.

Date: August 2026

Issued by: The Congress, The Quivive Global Foundation.

Preamble:

The Congress of The Quivive Global Foundation, at its meeting, deliberated on the advancement

of youth-led artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in Africa, with particular consideration given

to governance, regional collaboration, investment, infrastructure, and the development of an

enabling ecosystem for African innovators.

Following extensive deliberations and contributions from members, the Congress recognized that

Africa must move beyond being primarily a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere and

actively position itself as a producer, owner, and beneficiary of AI technologies and intellectual

property.

Representation:

The Congress is distinguished by its broad international representation, with members drawn

from 52 countries across Africa and beyond. The present sitting was attended by Honorable

Members representing 13 countries namely – The United States of America, Botswana, Canada,

Eswatini, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia

and Zimbabwe.

The Congress therefore adopts the following position:

1. HARMONISED AI GOVERNANCE

The Congress recognizes the need for African countries to develop compatible and coherent

governance frameworks for AI, particularly in areas including: Data protection and privacy,

Cybersecurity, Responsible and ethical AI, AI-related discrimination and bias, Human oversight

and accountability, Intellectual property, Digital transactions, and Cross-border data sharing.The Congress acknowledges that highly fragmented regulatory systems may create barriers to the

growth and cross-border expansion of African technology enterprises and encourages regional

and continental stakeholders to pursue greater regulatory compatibility while respecting the

legitimate national interests and legal frameworks of individual African states.

2. AFRICAN YOUTH AS AI INNOVATORS

The Congress affirms that African youth should not merely be trained to participate in

technology ecosystems established elsewhere. Rather, they should be equipped and supported to

build, own, scale, and commercialize African technology solutions from within the continent.

This requires investment in:

AI education and technical skills, Research and development, Computing and digital

infrastructure, African datasets and language resources, Entrepreneurship and mentorship,

Venture capital and other forms of strategic investment, and Access to African and international

markets.

The Congress further recognizes the risk of a digital form of brain drain if African talent is

developed without creating sufficient opportunities for that talent to build and retain economic

value within Africa.

3. REGIONAL COLLABORATION

The Congress advocates for a connected African AI ecosystem rather than 54 isolated national

ecosystems. African countries should leverage their respective strengths, expertise, institutions,

businesses, universities, innovators, and resources to create opportunities that can scale across

the continent. The Congress believes that regional collaboration can transform Africa’s diverse

national markets into a larger ecosystem capable of supporting competitive African technology

enterprises.

4. AFRICAN-SPECIFIC AI DEVELOPMENT

The Congress recognizes the importance of developing AI technologies that reflect African

realities, languages, cultures, markets, and developmental needs.

Priority areas identified include: Agriculture and food security, Healthcare, Education, Trade and

logistics, Energy, Public administration and government services, African-language technologies,

Speech recognition and translation; and Locally relevant digital solutions.

The Congress maintains that African data, knowledge, talent, and intellectual property should

contribute substantially to the development and ownership of solutions designed for African

challenges.5. CONTINENTAL YOUTH AI CHALLENGE

As a practical outcome of the deliberation, the Congress resolved to pursue the establishment of

a Continental Youth AI Challenge. The proposed initiative will provide a platform for identifying

promising African youth-led AI solutions and connecting innovators with potential investors,

partners, mentors, institutions, and markets.

A seven-member committee was established to develop the concept, implementation framework,

partnerships, funding strategy, and roadmap for the initiative.

6. ROLE OF THE QUIVIVE CONGRESS

The Congress recognizes its unique position as a platform bringing together professionals,

intellectuals, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond.

Accordingly, the Congress shall seek to move beyond identifying challenges and actively pursue

opportunities for collaboration, investment, knowledge exchange, innovation, and practical

intervention.

The Congress will continue to identify existing networks, organizations, institutions, businesses,

innovation communities, and other relevant stakeholders that can contribute to the advancement

of African innovation.

7. CALL TO ACTION

The Congress calls upon:

African governments to create enabling regulatory and investment environments for youth-led

innovation;

Universities and research institutions to strengthen AI education, research, infrastructure, and

African datasets;

Private-sector and financial institutions to increase investment in credible African AI ventures;

Technology and innovation communities to strengthen cross-border collaboration and knowledge

sharing; and African youth and innovators to develop solutions that respond to genuine African

developmental challenges and have the potential to scale across African markets.

In determining which innovations should receive priority, the Congress proposes two guiding

questions:

Does this technology solve an African development problem?

If so, does it have the potential to scale across African markets?CONCLUSION

The Congress of The Quivive Global Foundation believes that Africa’s opportunity in AI extends

beyond adopting technologies developed elsewhere. The continent has an opportunity to develop

its own talent, infrastructure, enterprises, intellectual property, data resources, and technological

solutions.

The Congress therefore affirms its commitment to supporting a transition from AI consumption

to AI production, ownership, and leadership in Africa.

The establishment of the Continental Youth AI Challenge represents an initial practical step

towards translating this position into action.

Issued by:

The Congress Secretariat.

Quivive Global Foundation.