Education experts have stressed the need for Africa to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ways that uphold its cultural and intellectual identity.
They said this at a two-day regional workshop on Open Educational Resources (OER) Practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in Abuja on Tuesday.
The workshop was organised by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) through the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL).
The theme of the workshop is tagged: “Emerging Issues in OER Practices in the Age of AI”.
Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor, NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peter, said the workshop is timely, following global discussions on the future of learning in an AI-driven world.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), NOUN, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, Peter said the workshop brought together academics, policy makers, distance-learning leaders, and education officials from six West African countries.
Peter affirmed the Institution’s commitment to innovations that respect diversity and promote inclusive learning across the continent.
“AI presents exciting possibilities for education, yet it must be used with great care. African institutions must lead with their values, not merely adopt foreign models.
“Our knowledge systems, our histories, and our cultural perspectives matter deeply. We must build tools and policies that reflect the realities of our people.
“NOUN will continue to champion open, accessible, and culturally grounded learning,” Peter said.
The Vice-Chancellor encouraged participants to use the workshop to build networks that would sustain regional collaboration beyond the two-day event.
Earlier, Prof. Dorothy Ofoha, Deputy Director of RETRIDOL, said the workshop came at a time when institutions globally were re-evaluating the role of AI in education.
Ofoha emphasised that while the technology offered immense potential, African countries must protect their unique values and identities as they adopt AI tools.
“We are entering a period of profound change in how knowledge is created and shared. AI has the power to support more flexible, inclusive, and high-quality learning.
“Yet, we must ensure these tools do not override our cultural and educational values. Africa must use AI to strengthen, not dilute, our systems. This workshop is where we begin to shape that responsible path,” she said.
She also said that participants would collaborate to design frameworks and policies that support AI-enhanced OER development grounded in African contexts.
Prof. Jane-Frances Agbu, Adviser on Higher Education at COL in Vancouver, reaffirmed COL’s mission to widen access to learning across the Commonwealth.
This, she said, would be done through openness, collaboration, and technology.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping education at an unprecedented speed. The challenge before us is to ensure that openness and equity remain at the centre.
“OER must continue to serve as trusted digital public goods for all learners.
“We must prepare our institutions to use AI thoughtfully, ethically, and responsibly. Most importantly, African languages and knowledge systems must stay central in this evolution,” she said. (NAN)
