Countries United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Rwanda Strengthen Alliance to Bolster AI Use in Developing Regions Worldwide
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, and Rwanda have announced an expansion of their artificial intelligence (AI) partnership, aiming to strengthen coordination and accelerate the adoption of AI in the Global South. This ambitious initiative focuses on sustainable development, ethical AI use, and knowledge sharing.
The partnership, anchored within the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) global network, builds on an earlier UAE-Rwanda initiative launched at the 2024 WEF Annual Meeting in Davos. Key details of this cooperation include the expansion of the C4IR AI Fellowship Program, joint development of AI governance frameworks, a focus on bridging the digital divide, and supporting national and regional digital transformation.
The C4IR AI Fellowship Program, one of the flagship initiatives of the C4IR Network, facilitates a platform for connecting AI leaders, innovators, and experts across continents to exchange knowledge, share talent, and co-create AI-driven solutions toward inclusive and responsible innovation.
The partnership also emphasizes the coordinated development of responsible AI governance frameworks led by Global South nations. This ensures that AI benefits are equitably harnessed and its risks ethically managed. With concerns that emerging technologies might exacerbate inequalities, this cooperation aims to narrow the digital divide by fostering inclusive frameworks that allow Global South countries to actively participate in and benefit from the growing AI market.
Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, Gobind Singh Deo, highlighted the partnership’s goal to accelerate digital transformation for sustainable, inclusive growth through responsible AI innovation. The initiative will also promote further international cooperation to support sustainable development through AI.
The UAE C4IR, overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation and launched in April 2019, is a part of a broader global network that explores exponential technologies and drives their responsible adoption and application. The Network is a platform for multistakeholder collaboration, bringing together public and private sectors to maximize technological benefits to society while minimizing the risks.
The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) global network is a framework for promoting ethics and governance in AI. 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 expanded partnership represents a visionary initiative to foster international cooperation among the UAE, Malaysia, and Rwanda, empowering Global South countries to develop AI capacities that support sustainable development goals, ethical governance, and equitable economic growth. The C4IR Network AI Fellowship Program, resulting from this collaboration, aims to share knowledge, exchange talent, and co-create solutions to address the critical challenges and harness the potential of AI for the benefit of not only the participating nations but the wider global community.
The C4IR AI Fellowship Program, a flagship initiative of the C4IR Network, will serve as a platform for connecting AI leaders, innovators, and experts from the UAE, Malaysia, Rwanda, and other continents, to exchange knowledge, share talent, and co-create AI-driven solutions toward responsible innovation. This collaboration will also focus on the joint development of AI governance frameworks, aiming to ensure equitable harnessing of AI benefits and ethical management of its risks.
