National Artificial Intelligence Policy (2024)

Ethiopia's National Artificial Intelligence Policy is the country's first comprehensive, government-led AI framework. It was approved by the Council of Ministers on 27 June 2024 (during its 37th regular meeting). It is an aspirational policy instrument rather than binding legislation; the Enacted/Effective dates recorded here reflect Council of Ministers adoption of the policy, not legislative enactment, and the document does not itself create directly enforceable legal obligations. The policy was developed under the leadership of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII) and coordinated with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MInT). It positions the EAII as the national coordinating body responsible for implementation, standards development, capacity building and R&D coordination, while MInT provides policy oversight and cross-ministerial coordination. (Note for reviewer: the EAII is the designated AI coordinating body but is not yet recorded in the ATLPF Regulators database, so the Regulator field is left blank.) Substantively, the policy emphasises AI for socioeconomic development, data governance and stewardship, ethics and accountability, human capital and infrastructure, and institutional capacity building. It adopts a risk-based posture: encouraging innovation in low-risk sectors while calling for stricter human-in-the-loop oversight in high-stakes domains such as national defence and criminal justice. It targets sectoral integration across agriculture, health, education, finance and security, with phased pilots prioritised in agriculture, health and finance. The stated strategic ambition is for Ethiopia to become a continental centre of AI excellence by 2035. The policy emphasises alignment with the African Union's Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy (adopted 2024) and AU digital frameworks, while prioritising national data sovereignty and local capacity. Dedicated implementing legislation and standards are anticipated to follow under EAII coordination.

1. 1Establishes Ethiopia's first national AI policy, approved by the Council of Ministers on 27 June 2024
2. 2Adopts a risk-based approach: lighter-touch treatment for low-risk applications and mandatory human-in-the-loop oversight for high-stakes domains such as national defence and criminal justice
3. 3Designates the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII) as national coordinating body for implementation, standards, capacity building and R&D, with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology providing policy oversight
4. 4Prioritises data governance and stewardship, ethical and accountable AI, human capital and infrastructure
5. 5Targets sectoral integration in agriculture, health, education, finance and security, with phased pilots in agriculture, health and finance
6. 6Sets the goal of Ethiopia as a continental centre of AI excellence by 2035 and aligns with the AU Continental AI Strategy while prioritising data sovereignty