ICSAN Pushes For Policy-Driven AI Adoption To Reform Governance

The president and president of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Mrs Uto Ukpanah, has emphasised the captious request for Nigeria to clasp Artificial Intelligence (AI) not simply arsenic a technological tool, but arsenic a transformational unit successful governance and nationalist administration.

This assertion was made astatine ICSAN’s 49th Annual Conference held successful Lagos, wherever AI’s relation successful modern governance was a focal constituent of discussion.

In her opening remarks, Ukpanah described the league theme, ‘Re-imagining Governance: Navigating the Artificial Intelligence Revolution for Excellence,’ arsenic timely and necessary.

She remarked, “Artificial Intelligence is not a futuristic phantasy but a contiguous reality. We are already experiencing its interaction successful mundane applications from virtual assistants to predictive systems, and we indispensable present see its deeper implications for governance and nationalist development.”

Ukpanah highlighted ICSAN’s legacy, stating that the Institute, arsenic a statutorily recognised assemblage and Nigeria’s lone authorised institute for Chartered Secretaries and governance professionals, has championed liable firm governance for astir sixty years.

She described the league arsenic a strategical level for dialogue, argumentation reflection, and nonrecreational insight, particularly connected emerging issues similar AI that are reshaping governance globally. She added that, “AI has already been deployed successful astute metropolis management, healthcare diagnostics, and nationalist information successful South Korea. AI is helping to trim transgression rates successful municipality parks.”

The president of the institute urged Nigeria not to lag, stressing that, the federation needs to harness AI to modernise nationalist work delivery, amended electoral systems, guarantee fiscal accountability, and fortify information integrity successful authorities institutions.

Addressing the regulatory framework, Ukpanah referenced the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and its General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID), arsenic indispensable tools.

She stated that, “The GAID provides captious regulatory clarity connected the ethical deployment of emerging technologies similar AI, blockchain, and IoT. This offers america a ineligible and organization pathway to guarantee that AI applications stay grounded successful information extortion and respect for idiosyncratic rights.”

Despite the benefits of AI, Ukpanah warned of its imaginable pitfalls. She cautioned that, “We indispensable guarantee that exertion serves humanity not the different mode around.”

While citing risks specified arsenic information privateness violations, algorithmic bias, and quality displacement, she explained wherefore ICSAN is bringing unneurotic professionals, policymakers and thought leaders to signifier however AI tin beryllium applied responsibly successful our unsocial nationalist context.

The keynote speaker, radical enforcement manager astatine Chams Holding Company, Dr Femi Oyenuga, who besides spoke connected AI’s transformative role, described it arsenic a governance inflexion constituent alternatively than conscionable different technological advancement. He called connected governance professionals to instrumentality up a dual work enabling beneficial AI adoption portion embedding safeguards that guarantee accountability, transparency and inclusion.

Dr Oyenuga presented a three-pillar framework: Stewardship, Accountability, and Capability, arsenic a usher for institutions navigating AI adoption.  He acknowledged immoderate nationalist advancement but pointed retired important gaps, stating that, ‘while the backstage assemblage is showing beardown involvement successful AI, our organization capableness for algorithmic oversight remains limited.’

Similarly, helium advocated bold reforms, including AI Impact Assessments, board-level governance policies and the instauration of an ICSAN Centre for Digital Governance.