This week the AI PAN-AFRICANISM consortium gathered in Bremen to kick-off a joint research and advocacy initiative on Pan-African AI governance. Hosted at the University of Bremen, it marked an inspiring start to the next four years of collaboration. The project is hosted by the PGMT Lab, with Dr. Dennis Redeker as the Principal Investigator, Dr. Adio-Adet Dinika as Co-Lead and Imane El Qochairi as a doctoral researcher. Niko Pfannenschmidt supports the team, as does Dr. Chiara Spiniello.

Representatives from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Media Foundation for West Africa(MFWA), and ZeMKI, came together for the kick-off meeting. We were also honoured to open the workshop with Dr. Annabella Hüfler-Fick from VolkswagenStiftung, which generously funds the project, followed by ZeMKI Speaker Prof. Andreas Hepp, and Dr. Mandy Boehnke, Vice President of International Affairs, Academic Qualification and Diversity at the University of Bremen.

From introductions to in-depth exchange: The two-day meeting was an opportunity to get to know one another, align our vision and lay the foundations for a successful cooperation. Through collaborative flipcharting, vivid discussions and engaging workshops, we gained clarity about the opportunities and challenges ahead and fine-tuned our project roadmap.

Together, we begin this journey and are looking forward to fostering transdisciplinary, evidence-based and Pan-African approaches to AI governance.