Zambia has been named a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), a newly established intergovernmental body launched by China to promote global cooperation and governance in artificial intelligence.
The founding agreement was signed on behalf of the Zambian government by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technology and Science, Brilliant Habeenzu, at a ceremony in Shanghai on July 16, alongside 28 other founding nations spanning Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, including South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia. The signing was attended by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi signing first on behalf of the host nation.
Government said Zambia’s membership reflects the country’s national priorities on artificial intelligence and builds on its recently adopted National Artificial Intelligence Strategy under President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration. Officials framed the move as an opportunity to tap into global expertise, investment and innovation in one of the world’s fastest-growing technology sectors, with a stated organisational goal of narrowing the AI gap between developed and developing nations, particularly across the Global South.
In a further gesture toward developing economies, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities for developing countries over the next five years as part of the organisation’s broader agenda. WAICO, headquartered in Shanghai, is structured as an independent international body guided by United Nations Charter principles, and its launch comes amid intensifying global competition between major powers over the rules governing AI development and deployment.
Sources: The Zambian Observer — Zambia joins global AI organisation | ZNBC — Zambia joins global AI organisation
