Ominya Initiative for Peace and Community Development

A successful first Global Dialogue on AI Governance, convened by the United Nations, should move beyond discussion to clear, inclusive, and actionable outcomes. First, it should establish a shared global framework for responsible AI governance that reflects diverse realities, especially from the Global South. Second, it must institutionalize meaningful participation of youth, women, and grassroots actors—those most affected but often excluded from decision-making. Third, the Dialogue should produce practical commitments from governments and stakeholders to address urgent risks such as AI-driven misinformation, digital inequality, and bias. Finally, success would include a roadmap for sustained collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building at regional and community levels. Ultimately, the Dialogue should lay the foundation for people-centered, transparent, and accountable AI systems that promote peace, inclusion, and sustainable development.

• Transparency, accountability, and human oversight
• Protection and promotion of human rights
• Social, economic, ethical, cultural, linguistic and technical implications of AI
• AI capacity-building

My selected priorities reflect a people-centered and rights-based approach to AI governance, grounded in my work with youth and communities through Ominya Initiative. Protection and promotion of human rights and transparency, accountability, and human oversight are essential to ensure AI systems do not reinforce bias, exclusion, or harm-particularly for women, young people, and vulnerable groups in fragile contexts. AI capacity-building is critical to bridge digital divides and empower communities with the knowledge to safely engage with emerging technologies. Finally, addressing the social, economic, ethical, cultural, and linguistic implications of AI ensures that governance frameworks are inclusive and reflective of diverse realities, especially in the Global South where local contexts are often overlooked. Together, these priorities support inclusive, ethical, and context-responsive AI systems that advance peace, equity, and sustainable development.

Yes. While the listed themes are comprehensive, several cross-cutting and emerging issues require greater attention. First, the intersection of AI, misinformation, and conflict is critical. In fragile and polarized contexts, AI-generated content can amplify hate speech, distort public discourse, and undermine peacebuilding efforts. Second, the role of AI in shaping migration narratives is an emerging concern. Misleading or manipulated information can influence migration decisions, often exposing young people to unsafe and irregular pathways. Third, there is a growing need to address the localization gap in AI governance. Many frameworks remain global in design but lack community-level relevance, limiting their effectiveness in diverse cultural and socio-political contexts. Finally, the meaningful inclusion of youth and grassroots actors remains underemphasized. Beyond participation, there is a need for structured mechanisms that position them as co-creators of AI governance, not just beneficiaries.

In Nigeria and across West Africa, gaps in AI governance are already shaping both risks and opportunities. A major challenge is the rapid spread of AI-driven misinformation and manipulated content, which is deepening distrust, fueling social tensions, and posing risks to elections and community peace. Weak regulatory frameworks and limited enforcement capacity make it difficult to ensure transparency, accountability, and human oversight. There is also a significant capacity gap, particularly among young people and community actors, who are active digital users but often lack the skills to critically engage with AI technologies. This increases vulnerability to exploitation and digital harm, especially for women and marginalized groups. At the same time, AI presents opportunities to strengthen early warning systems, improve civic engagement, and expand access to education and information. With the right investments in human rights-centered governance and inclusive capacity-building, AI can support peacebuilding, resilience, and sustainable development in the region.

The AI Dialogue, convened by the United Nations, can play a pivotal role in advancing international cooperation by serving as an inclusive bridge between global policy and local realities. First, it can foster shared understanding and alignment by creating space for governments, civil society, private sector, and grassroots actors to exchange experiences, best practices, and lessons learned. Second, the Dialogue can promote coordinated global action by encouraging common principles and standards for responsible, transparent, and human rights–based AI governance, while respecting regional contexts. Third, it can strengthen collaboration through partnerships that support capacity-building, knowledge transfer, and resource mobilization—particularly for developing countries. Finally, it can institutionalize the voices of youth and underrepresented communities, ensuring that international AI governance frameworks are inclusive, participatory, and responsive to the needs of those most affected.

The AI Dialogue, convened by the United Nations, should build on existing global and regional initiatives such as UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the OECD AI Principles, and the Global Digital Compact process. It should also connect with multi-stakeholder platforms like the Internet Governance Forum and regional efforts across Africa focused on digital policy and innovation. The added value of the AI Dialogue lies in its ability to unify these fragmented efforts under a more inclusive and action-oriented platform. It can bridge gaps between high-level global frameworks and local implementation by elevating voices from the Global South, civil society, and grassroots actors. Additionally, it can strengthen coordination, reduce duplication, and promote coherence across governance approaches, while advancing practical collaboration, capacity-building, and accountability in AI governance worldwide.

Different stakeholders have distinct but complementary roles to play in making the AI Dialogue impactful. Governments can provide policy direction and commit to implementing human rights–based AI frameworks, while the private sector can ensure responsible innovation, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards. Civil society and grassroots organizations can bring lived experiences, highlight risks, and ensure accountability, especially for vulnerable groups. Academia and technical experts can contribute research, evidence, and foresight, while youth and community actors should be engaged as co-creators, not just participants. In terms of format, the Dialogue should adopt a multi-stakeholder and highly participatory structure, combining high-level plenaries with interactive working groups focused on key thematic areas. It should also include regional consultations and hybrid participation to ensure accessibility and inclusivity. To sustain impact, the Dialogue should establish clear outcome documents, follow-up mechanisms, and platforms for continuous engagement, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration beyond annual convenings.

Several voices remain underrepresented in global discussions on AI governance, particularly those from the Global South, including grassroots communities, youth, women, and marginalized groups who are often the most affected by the real-world impacts of AI but least involved in shaping its policies. Local practitioners working at the intersection of peacebuilding, migration, and community development are also frequently excluded, despite their critical insights into how AI influences social cohesion and vulnerability. To ensure meaningful inclusion, the AI Dialogue should move beyond symbolic participation by creating structured pathways for engagement. This includes establishing youth and civil society advisory groups, supporting regional and community-level consultations, and providing funding and capacity support for underrepresented actors to participate effectively. Additionally, incorporating multilingual platforms and culturally responsive approaches will help ensure that diverse perspectives are not only present but actively shape outcomes in global AI governance.

To foster meaningful and dynamic engagement, the AI Dialogue should move beyond traditional panel formats and adopt more interactive, inclusive approaches. First, co-creation labs can bring together diverse stakeholders—governments, youth, civil society, and the private sector—to collaboratively design solutions and policy recommendations in real time. Second, scenario-based simulations can help participants explore the real-world impacts of AI (e.g., misinformation during elections or conflict), encouraging practical, context-driven responses. Third, community storytelling sessions can amplify lived experiences from grassroots actors, ensuring policies are grounded in reality. Additionally, youth-led sessions and reverse panels—where decision-makers listen and respond to young people—can rebalance power dynamics and promote inclusion. Integrating digital participation tools (live polling, virtual breakout rooms, and multilingual platforms) will ensure broader, more equitable engagement, especially for participants who cannot attend in person.

Several existing policies, practices, and platforms offer concrete pathways for effective and inclusive AI governance. At the global level, UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI provides a comprehensive, human rights-based framework that guides countries in developing responsible AI systems. Similarly, the OECD AI Principles promote transparency, accountability, and inclusive growth. Multi-stakeholder platforms like the Internet Governance Forum demonstrate effective models for inclusive dialogue and knowledge-sharing across sectors. At the national level, emerging data protection regulations and digital policies across African countries are helping to strengthen accountability and safeguard citizens' rights. From a practice perspective, community-based digital literacy initiatives, fact-checking networks, and youth-led awareness campaigns have proven effective in countering misinformation and building resilience. These approaches highlight the importance of combining policy frameworks with grassroots engagement to ensure AI governance is both practical and people-centered.