{"id":140808,"date":"2026-05-12T17:02:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/rachel-ruto-leads-african-call-for-protection-of-children-in-ai-driven-digital-world-at-africa-forward-summit\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:02:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:02:47","slug":"rachel-ruto-leads-african-call-for-protection-of-children-in-ai-driven-digital-world-at-africa-forward-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/rachel-ruto-leads-african-call-for-protection-of-children-in-ai-driven-digital-world-at-africa-forward-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Ruto leads African call for protection of children in AI-driven digital world at Africa Forward Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 12 \u2014 First Ladies from across Africa have issued a strong call for collective action to protect children in digital spaces amid the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and the digital economy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during a High-Level Side Event on Building Safer Digital Spaces for Children in Africa, held on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, the leaders emphasized the urgent need for governments, technology companies, parents, educators, and communities to work together to safeguard children online.<\/p>\n

The meeting was led by Kenya\u2019s First Lady Rachel Ruto, who underscored the dual nature of digital transformation\u2014its ability to unlock opportunity while also exposing children to new and evolving risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world has truly become a global village. But with that transformation comes a new responsibility. The same digital world that can unlock a child\u2019s future can also place it at risk,\u201d said Ruto.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The First Ladies collectively called for a unified African approach to digital safety, combining regulation, education, and innovation to ensure technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than harm\/PCS<\/p>\n

She noted that Kenya, under the leadership of President William Ruto, continues to expand digital infrastructure, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and position itself as a continental leader in digital transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cProgress must never outpace protection. What we are building is not just infrastructure; we are shaping the environment in which our children will grow, learn, and become,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

First Lady Lauriane Darboux \u00e9pouse Doumbouya of Guinea stressed that Africa\u2019s youthful population makes child online safety a continental priority, calling for stronger global standards to regulate and protect children in digital environments.<\/p>\n

Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf praised Kenya\u2019s innovation journey, citing the global impact of mobile money innovation such as M-Pesa as evidence of Africa\u2019s leadership in digital transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cM-Pesa began in a small way, reaching rural communities and transforming digital financial transactions, and today its impact is felt globally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She represented a delegation of senior African and global leaders, including former heads of state, UN officials, and international institution representatives.<\/p>\n

First Lady Philile Dlamini of Eswatini emphasized the need for constant vigilance to shield children from harmful online content and ensure safe digital environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cVigilance is needed to ensure children are protected from harmful content online,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tanzania\u2019s First Lady representative, Neema Ngure Nchemba, highlighted government responsibility in ensuring children access safe, positive, and age-appropriate digital content.<\/p>\n

She noted that Tanzania has already enacted laws aimed at strengthening online protection for young people and reaffirmed the country\u2019s commitment to safeguarding children in the digital age.<\/p>\n

The discussions underscored a growing continental consensus that while AI and digital technologies are driving economic transformation, they must be accompanied by strong safeguards to protect children and vulnerable users.<\/p>\n

The First Ladies collectively called for a unified African approach to digital safety, combining regulation, education, and innovation to ensure technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than harm.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 12 \u2014 First Ladies from across Africa have issued a strong call for collective action to protect children in digital spaces amid the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and the digital economy. Speaking during a High-Level Side Event on Building Safer Digital Spaces for Children in Africa, held on the sidelines of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}