The Eswatini Standards Authority (ESWASA) and AICE Africa (www.AICEAfrica.com) today announced the launch of an AI Safety and Standards Center of Excellence in Eswatini. The Center will bring together standards expertise, technical implementation, education, and the development of AI safety testing capabilities to support the safe and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across Africa.
The launch comes as governments worldwide confront the practical challenge of translating AI governance requirements into technical standards and assessment capabilities. The European Union’s revised timetable for high-risk AI requirements, including applying rules to certain high-risk systems from 2 December 2027, underscores the need to have this infrastructure in place.
For African economies, a central question is who has the expertise and evidence to determine whether AI systems are safe, fair and suited to local conditions. The Center will address this challenge by developing the people, methods and institutional capabilities needed to assess and govern AI in Africa.
What the Center will do
The partnership, formalized in September 2026, offers a practical model for how national standards bodies can contribute to AI governance alongside regulators and other public institutions.
ESWASA will provide institutional leadership, standards expertise and national coordination, while AICE Africa will contribute program design, AI governance expertise, platform development and skills and knowledge transfer.
“As AI becomes part of how businesses and public services operate, standards bodies must develop the capability to assess it,” said Ncamiso Mhlanga, Executive Director of ESWASA. “We are starting with our own internal transformation and developing the people and capabilities to carry this work forward. These capabilities will underpin our support to industry and our contribution to regional and international cooperation on AI standards.”
The Center’s development will follow four stages: internal transformation, practitioner development, industry services and regional cooperation. As its assessment capabilities mature, the Center intends to develop certification services supported by validated methods, competent personnel and appropriate arrangements for impartiality and accreditation.
Central to ESWASA’s internal transformation is the development of EswasaOne, an AI platform designed to connect standards information, certification and inspection workflows, and management oversight. Its planned features include a natural-language conversational interface and workflow automation to make standards information and institutional processes easier to access. An accompanying AI governance framework will define responsibilities, requirements for responsible use, and data governance.
“AI sovereignty requires institutions that can evaluate, govern and improve the systems they depend on,” said John Kamara, Chief Executive Officer of AICE Africa. “Our role is to build that capability within ESWASA through technical implementation, governance and skills transfer. Success means ESWASA’s own teams can operate and extend these systems, and use that expertise to support industry and other African institutions.”
Education and skills at the core
Education is the foundation of the Center’s approach. Its practitioner development program will train standards officers, auditors, regulators and technical staff in AI governance, risk management and assessment, developing the professional competence on which credible AI assurance depends.
The Center intends to work with universities and training institutions to connect its programs with academic study, applied research and practical experience. These partnerships would help develop a new generation of African professionals with career pathways in AI safety, assurance and standards.
Training will draw on real implementation. Lessons from ESWASA’s own transformation will inform the Center’s courses and organizational readiness services, giving learners practical exposure to how AI systems are governed, documented and assessed.
A research and testing laboratory for African conditions
The Center’s longer-term roadmap includes a proposed AI Safety and Standards Research and Testing Laboratory. The laboratory would enable African institutions to evaluate AI systems against recognized requirements and under the conditions in which they will be used, taking account of local languages, data, infrastructure and social contexts.Its planned work includes shared assessment methods, benchmarking resources and an African AI Standards Baseline Report. These outputs would provide regulators, buyers and standards institutions with evidence to inform procurement, oversight and the development of assessment practices.
Testing grounded in African conditions would help ensure that AI evaluations reflect local needs and deployment risks. It would also create a stronger evidence base for African contributions to international standards development.
The Center will draw on international reference points, including ISO/IEC 42001, which sets requirements for AI management systems, and ISO/IEC 23894, which provides guidance on AI risk management. It also aims to contribute African implementation experience to the continuing development of international AI standards.
Value for the continent
The partners view AI assurance as economic infrastructure: the evidence and assessment processes that help establish confidence that AI systems meet defined requirements.
“Credible AI assurance supports sound procurement decisions, helps protect consumers and citizens, and builds business confidence,” Mhlanga said. “It can also help businesses access markets where customers expect evidence of responsible AI use. Building this capability in Africa strengthens the ability of our institutions to evaluate, govern and improve the systems they depend on, drawing on local expertise and evidence.”
The Center is intended to create opportunities for skilled practitioners, develop assessment and certification services for industry, support enterprise pilots and enable applied research with universities. Over time, the partners aim to establish a tested model that other national standards bodies can adopt and adapt.
Regional cooperation and next steps
The partners plan to convene an AI Safety and Standards Summit in Mbabane in July 2027. Confirmed dates and participation details will be announced separately.
“We invite standards and conformity assessment institutions to collaborate on assessment methods and practitioner development,” Kamara said. “We also welcome universities, educators and researchers interested in curricula, applied research and training partnerships; enterprises seeking to participate in sector pilots; and development partners willing to support local capability and the proposed research and testing laboratory.”
About ESWASA:
The Eswatini Standards Authority (ESWASA) is Eswatini’s national standards body, established under the Standards and Quality Act of 2003, amended in 2023. It develops and promotes standards and provides conformity assessment services that support business performance, consumer protection and trade, connecting national quality infrastructure with the needs of government, industry and consumers.www.ESWASA.co.sz
About AICE Africa:
AICE Africa (AI Centre of Excellence Africa) is a pan-African AI products and services company focused on AI sovereignty, safety, assurance and ethics. It works with governments, enterprises and institutions to develop AI strategies, implement data and AI solutions with appropriate governance, and strengthen technical and leadership capabilities. Its approach combines practical implementation with institutional control, accountability and the expertise needed to sustain responsible innovation.www.AICEAfrica.com
SOURCE
Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence Africa (AICE)