South African Safari

1 July 2025

SFG was received warmly by South African leaders including Kgalema Motlanthe, former President of the Republic, Mathews Phosa, a senior leader of the ruling ANC party, and Maropene Ramokgopa, Planning Minister in the Presidency, among others.

The discussions focused on how South Africa should promote a balanced approach to the Global AI Governance. Such an approach should enable the Global South countries to harness the technology for economic development and at the same time mitigate the risks from extreme autonomy and dangerous uses. South Africa can promote such a balanced approach in its role as the Chair of G-20 as well as other forums.

The meetings with political leaders were followed by interactions with experts and government officials, including Alfred Mashishi, Deputy Director General of the Department of Communications and Digital technologies as well as Nqaba Nqandela, Special Adviser to the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation. SFG also met with Prof Arthur Muthambara, Director of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg, Sean Cleary, international expert on global future, and Michelle Eglin, founder of the Sparx Foundation.

South Africa has professed the philosophy of Ubuntu- I am because we are-  which promotes peaceful co-existence and a cooperative world. It is in a unique position to use this approach for the future evolution of technology.

A detailed report on the visit and a podcast were published by Founding Fuel. Here is the link

https://www.foundingfuel.com/video/the-ubuntu-of-ai-south-africas-moral-imagination/