Parliamentarians caution ECOWAS member states against hasty  adoption of AI

By Davies Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT: The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS,Parliament, has cautioned legislative arms of authorities against hasty adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) successful parliamentary businesses.

The parliamentarians gave this informing successful Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, astatine the ongoing 2nd 2025 ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar/Extraordinary Session, with theme: “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Parliamentary Efficiency,  Ethical Governance and Development successful the ECOWAS Region. “

The seminar was connected Cyber Security, AI Development successful the Security Sector, AI for Parliamentary Efficiency and Oversight, AI successful Agriculture and Health Development. 

The parliamentarians, portion responding to the lectures, said determination ought to beryllium extended advocacy connected the AI and the request for lawmakers successful Africa, peculiarly ECOWAS countries to clasp the caller development. 

Guy Marius Sagna (Francophone) and Laadi Ayamba (Anglophone), successful their separatereactions, said immoderate legislators deficiency indepth cognition of technology, noting that they request much sensitization connected the caller trend.

Sagna peculiarly argued that the usage of AI successful law-making and different sectors would person much demerits than bully connected the society, particularly successful the workplace.

He stressed that the lawmakers were elected to represent, support and support the interests of their constituents, stating that it would beryllium incorrect to legislate laws impact the nationalist negatively.

Sagna said ECOWAS subregion lacks AI abstraction for the innovation and called for wider run adjacent down to the agrarian areas, earlier introducing it for nationalist use.

However,  Ayamba argued that Africa is not prepared for AI adoption due to the fact that galore countries are heavy successful corruption and mediocre governance. 

She feared that it would marque radical lazy due to the fact that artificial quality tin bash virtually everything for human, adding that with its adoption, people’s information oregon privateness could beryllium astatine risk. 

Earlier successful his presumption Christian Odo, (Ph.D) connected “AI for Parliamentary Efficiency and Oversight,” called for legislative frameworks that would marque lawmaking speedy and seamless. 

Odo admitted that the usage of AI would make unemployment, but rapidly added that the innovation volition assistance parliamentarians successful having effectual and businesslike drafting of documents and trim burdensome.

He said arsenic legislators and representatives, they are cardinal successful ensuring that AI adoption aligns with antiauthoritarian institutions. 

He said: “Parliaments are knowledge-driven institutions that process ample amounts of information,  ranging from legislative substance sclerosis to fund reports and citizens petitions.

“Artificial intelligence,  offers tolls to enhancing efficiency  transparency, and oversight successful governance. “

The station Parliamentarians caution ECOWAS subordinate states against hasty  adoption of AI appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.