East Africa: Comesa Region Lags Behind in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence

Countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) are lagging behind with respect to robotics, artificial intelligence and technology infrastructure and skills acquisition. Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, the regional bloc's Director of Infrastructure, noted this during the COMESA Connect Industry Dialogue in Kigali themed "Smart Technologies for Sustainable Businesses." Held in Kigali, the meeting was organised by the COMESA Business Council and Rwanda's Private Sector Federation of Rwanda (PSF). While Egypt, Seychelles, Kenya and Mauritius lead in terms of internet penetration and mobile density and in trade in ICT services, Mutabazi said, the rest of the region largely lags behind in a number of ways, particularly with respect to robotics, artificial intelligence and technology infrastructure and skills acquisition. COMESA member states are; Burundi, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Seychelles, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.