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The 57th Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Plenary Assembly Session convened a Symposium, from the 2nd to the 6th June 2025 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on the theme: “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) For Effective and Efficient Parliamentary Processes in the SADC Region: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities” and resolved that the SADC Region can no longer afford to overlook the transformative impact of AI, as it has become integral to progress and development.
According to the SADC PF communique released on 4 June 2025, Article 6 of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Constitution enjoins the SADC PF to strengthen the implementation capacity of SADC by involving Parliamentarians in the affairs of SADC as well as to provide a Forum for discussion on matters of common interest to SADC.
The Parliamentarians said the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), is truly and firmly underway.
The Symposium, which brought together Hon. Speakers and Parliamentarians from 13 SADC Member States, representatives of the Zimbabwean Government, and AI Experts drawn from tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe incisively explored practical solutions and mechanisms to harness Artificial Intelligence to improve Parliamentary business processes, promote participatory democracy, guarantee inclusivity and strengthen the contribution of Parliaments to national and regional governance frameworks.
In officially opening the Symposium, the President of the SADC PF, Hon. Speaker Justin Tokley, laid down the gauntlet for SADC National Parliaments by imploring them to cajole SADC nations to react promptly and tap into the nascent opportunities conferred by AI whilst at the same time tackling the challenges through a rule-based framework.
Affirming that, it is only a matter of time before Parliaments fully consider the use of AI to catalyze parliamentary processes, the SADC PF President underscored the need to proactively legislate for AI following the example of the European Parliament which as per regulation 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council had laid down harmonized rules for Artificial Intelligence.
The Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services in the Republic of Zimbabwe, Hon. Tatenda Mavetera, buttressed the observations by the SADC PF President in outlining the Zimbabwean Government’s perspective on Artificial Intelligence.
Hon. Mavetera emphasized the imperative of adopting enabling legislative and policy frameworks at the national and regional level that promote the adoption of AI while ensuring adequate safeguards against the hazards of AI; mobilizing domestic resources to fund AI research and infrastructure development; strengthening local and intra-SADC digital and innovation hubs; and, prioritizing the adoption of ethical AI that serves SADC citizens’ best interests.
Acknowledging the role that the SADC FC has played in advocating for the harmonization of legislative texts across the region through the development of Model Laws, Hon. Minister Mavetera encouraged the Forum to finalize the development of the Draft Model Law on Artificial Intelligence which will serve as a benchmark for the development of national legislative frameworks by SADC Member States.
Recognizing the digital divide, particularly between urban and rural areas in the SADC Region, SADC National Parliaments were challenged to leverage their control of the national purse to ensure adequate budgetary allocations for AI Research and Development and the establishment of the appropriate infrastructure, including in the hinterland, to ensure equitable access to AI.
The Symposium also benefitted from expert presentations from representatives of Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Midlands State University, University of Zimbabwe, and the Harare Institute of Technology.
In addition to showcasing the various AI tools that have been developed by the respective tertiary institutions that can be customized and deployed in bolstering parliamentary processes in the SADC region, the institutions of higher learning collectively emphasized the need for Parliaments and academic institutions to collaborate more closely in developing AI tools that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Parliamentary processes and ensure ethical and effective AI integration.
The Country Reports presented by national Parliaments demonstrated that SADC Parliaments had readily embraced the AI revolution as evidenced by the proactive utilization of AI in Parliamentary processes and the enactment of legislation and policies to govern the adoption and use of AI.
A key recurring theme in the Country Reports was the concerted call for a regional legal framework and institutional innovation to guide responsible, rights-based AI use in SADC Parliaments, with emphasis on tailored applications, shared resources, and enhanced accessibility to bridge digital gaps.
