The UNESCO National Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania convened a key stakeholder meeting in Morogoro from 10–11 February 2026 to prepare for the upcoming African Conference on Social Transformation and Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is scheduled to take place later this year in Tanzania.

The meeting brought together stakeholders from public and private institutions, technology experts, academics, and development partners to discuss the direction, key agenda items, and strategic approaches necessary to ensure the success of this international conference.

During the meeting, Dr. Mwanaidi Kafuye from NIMR who also serves as the ABN country representative for Tanzania, delivered a presentation on Bioethics, focusing on ethical reflection on the social implications of science, technological transformation, and human rights.

The presentation emphasized that scientific and technological advancement, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), is not value-neutral and must be guided by ethical principles to ensure that innovation promotes human dignity, social justice, and sustainable development. It highlighted the importance of integrating ethical analysis into policy-making, regulatory systems, and technological design processes.

Key issues addressed included:

• The social impact of emerging technologies, including risks of inequality, digital exclusion, algorithmic bias, and threats to privacy.

• The need to align AI development with human rights principles such as dignity, autonomy, fairness, accountability, and non-discrimination.

• The importance of proactive ethical governance frameworks rather than reactive regulatory responses.

• The relevance of context-sensitive bioethical approaches that reflect Africa’s socio-economic realities while remaining consistent with international human rights standards. 

The presentation underscored that Africa has a critical opportunity to shape global discourse on ethical AI by grounding technological transformation in strong ethical foundations. Tanzania’s role in hosting the upcoming conference positions the country as an active contributor to continental and global conversations on responsible innovation.

The session reinforced the central message that ethical reflection must remain at the core of technological development to ensure that AI and other emerging technologies contribute positively to social transformation and equitable development across Africa.