Africa-Press – Namibia. The Parliament of Namibia is on the verge of enacting important legislation to ensure the effective use and management of artificial intelligence (AI).
The legislature recognises the significant role AI plays in strengthening democratic governance and modernising legislative processes.
These were the remarks of the Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila at the 57th Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) underway in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The plenary is held under the theme ‘Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for effective and efficient parliamentary processes in the SADC Region: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities’.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was sworn in as a new member of the forum.
She said due to the demands of the modern world, there was an emerging call for legislative bodies to embrace AI.
AI presents significant opportunities to improve operations.
Namibia was fully committed to adopting these technological advancements.
“In Namibia, we recognise AI as a vital enabler in strengthening democratic governance and modernising our legislative processes. Our National Assembly is gradually embracing digital transformation through the e-Parliament Strategy, which lays the foundation for improved service delivery, legislative efficiency and citizen interaction.
“While Namibia is still in the early stages of implementing AI tools in Parliament and the country at large, we are committed to building the necessary digital infrastructure and capacity,” said the Speaker.
The Speaker added that due to the potential risks associated with the usage of AI, there is a need for a comprehensive legal framework that would ensure the ethical deployment of such technologies.
“Namibia is actively finalising critical legislative instruments that provide a robust governance framework addressing the challenges that come with AI integration. These include ethical, legal and institutional considerations that must be carefully managed to ensure responsible innovation.
“This includes the Data Protection Bill to ensure personal privacy and data security, the Cybercrime Bill to address digital threats, including AI misuse, and a Draft Artificial Intelligence Bill, which will guide the ethical deployment of AI technologies.
Echoing other speakers, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila reiterated the many challenges impeding African parliaments from fully leveraging the benefits of AI.
This includes inadequate funding, lack of infrastructure, human capacity and regulatory frameworks.
Other Membe rs of Parliament at the plenary include Paula Kooper, Longinus Iipumbu, Paulus Mbangu, Lonia Kaishungu-Shinana and Olivia Hanghuwo.
The SADC-PF was established in 1997 in accordance with Article 9 (2) of the SADC Treaty as an autonomous institution of SADC.
It is a regional inter-parliamentary body composed of fifteen (15) parliaments representing over 3500 parliamentarians in the SADC region.
These member parliaments are Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The forum seeks to bring regional experiences at the national level to promote best practices in the role of parliaments in regional cooperation and integration as outlined in the SADC treaty and forum constitution.
Its main aim is to provide a platform for parliaments and parliamentarians to promote and improve regional integration in the SADC region through parliamentary involvement and diplomacy.
The plenary was officially opened by the president of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa.
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