Countries Including UAE, Malaysia, and Rwanda Establish Strategic Alliance to Boost AI Adoption in Developing Regions Worldwide
In a significant move, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, and Rwanda have expanded their strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and promote sustainable development in the Global South. This expanded cooperation includes the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to broaden the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) AI Fellowship Program, initially between the UAE and Rwanda, now including Malaysia.
The partnership, officially signed in 2025, seeks to accelerate ethical AI innovation and digital transformation, ensuring inclusivity and addressing challenges in emerging economies. His Excellency Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, Malaysia, emphasized that this collaboration bridges AI expertise across continents and supports the collective goal of sustainable development through AI.
The UAE Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (UAE C4IR) plays a key role in facilitating collaboration and exchange. Over the past six years, the UAE C4IR has forged several impactful partnerships and initiatives. The new agreement was witnessed by His Excellency Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, and His Excellency Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital in Malaysia.
The initiative aligns with global efforts to avoid exacerbating digital divides and create an inclusive AI-driven future by enabling cooperation among these countries’ C4IR centers. The C4IR AI Fellowship Program is a knowledge exchange platform connecting leaders, innovators, and experts in the AI space. It brings together public and private sectors to maximize technological benefits to society while minimizing the risks.
The expanded partnership includes the AI Fellowship Program, which connects AI practitioners committed to advancing inclusive and sustainable progress. The program facilitates knowledge exchange, talent sharing, and joint initiatives aimed at developing responsible AI governance frameworks led by Global South nations. The initiative will enable talent exchange, joint initiatives, and coordinated development of responsible AI policies.
The Global Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network is a platform for multistakeholder collaboration. The network explores exponential technologies and drives their responsible adoption and application. The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) global network is a platform for promoting ethics and governance in AI. The C4IR Network AI Fellowship Program aims to share knowledge, exchange talent, and co-create solutions to address critical challenges and harness the potential of AI for the benefit of not only the nations involved but the wider global community.
Malaysia is proud to join forces with the UAE and Rwanda in a visionary initiative to bridge global AI expertise and accelerate digital transformation for a more inclusive and sustainable future. The UAE is committed to building and strengthening global collaboration to achieve inclusive, sustainable development through technology and knowledge sharing.
In summary, the expanded UAE-Malaysia-Rwanda partnership leverages the C4IR AI Fellowship Program as a platform for international cooperation on AI adoption, ethical governance, and sustainable development in the Global South, promoting talent exchange and coordinated development of responsible AI policies. This partnership reflects the collective goal for a future that is driven by responsible AI innovation.
- The UAE-Malaysia-Rwanda partnership is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and promoting sustainable development, particularly in the Global South, by leveraging the C4IR AI Fellowship Program for international cooperation on AI adoption, ethical governance, and sustainable development.
- Through the C4IR AI Fellowship Program, this strategic partnership aims to facilitate knowledge exchange, talent sharing, and joint initiatives focused on developing responsible AI governance frameworks led by Global South nations, as well as creating an inclusive and sustainable AI-driven future by avoiding digital divides.
