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Kigali: The Sultanate of Oman took part in the Global AI Summit on Africa 2025, held in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda, under the theme of "AI and Africa's Demographic Dividend: Reimagining Economic Opportunities for Africa's Workforce". 

The two-day event, which kicked off today, was aimed to discuss the latest developments, innovations and technologies in the field of artificial intelligence and exchange knowledge and expertise with other countries. It offered an opportunity to showcase investment opportunities in the Sultanate of Oman in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance cooperation with international companies. 

The Sultanate of Oman's delegation to the summit was led by Dr. Ali Amer Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology. The delegation included ministry officials and representatives of Omani technology companies like ITCHA Group, Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Oman Data Park.

The summit brought together more than 1,000 participants from 95 countries, including policymakers, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors and representatives of more than 100 AI companies. The overall objective was to accelerate AI innovation and align strategic policies in a manner that enhances Africa's AI capabilities and achieve competitiveness and inclusive growth.

The summit saw the launch of the Africa AI Council, which will lead the development of the continent's AI ambitions. It also included panel discussions and workshops and showcased the products of more than 100 promising AI companies in Africa. The summit also featured discussions on how to harness AI with the purpose of encouraging innovation and boosting the skills of Africa's workforce.

On the sidelines of the summit, Al Shidhani conferred with Paula Ingabire, Minister of Communications, Information Technology and Innovation of Rwanda. The meeting discussed ways of expanding cooperation between the two sides in the field of ICT and explored Rwanda's experience in digital transition. By: ONA, Times of Oman

Abrham Meareg’s father was followed home and killed after his home address was published on Facebook in 2021.Photograph: Foxglove

Meta faces a $2.4bn (£1.8bn) lawsuit accusing the Facebook owner of inflaming violence in Ethiopia after the Kenyan high court said a legal case against the US tech group could go ahead.

The case brought by two Ethiopian nationals calls on Facebook to alter its algorithm to stop promoting hateful material and incitement to violence, as well as hiring more content moderators in Africa. It is also seeking a $2.4bn “restitution fund” for victims of hate and violence incited on Facebook.

Related: I was a content moderator for Facebook. I saw the real cost of outsourcing digital labour | Sonia Kgomo 

One of the claimants is the son of Prof Meareg Amare Abrha, who was murdered at his home in Ethiopia after his address and threatening posts were published on Facebook in 2021 during a civil war in the country. Another claimant is Fisseha Tekle, a former researcher at Amnesty International who published reports on violence committed during the conflict in Tigray in northern Ethiopia and received death threats on Facebook.

Meta has argued that courts in Kenya, where Facebook’s Ethiopia moderators were based at the time, did not have jurisdiction over the case. The Kenyan high court in Nairobi ruled on Thursday that the case fell within the jurisdiction of the country’s courts.

Abrham Meareg, the son of Meareg, said: “I am grateful for the court’s decision today. It is disgraceful that Meta would argue that they should not be subject to the rule of law in Kenya. African lives matter.”

Tekle said he cannot return home to Ethiopia because of Meta’s failure to make Facebook safe. “Meta cannot undo the damage it has done, but it can radically change how it moderates dangerous content across all its platforms to make sure no one else has to go through what I have,” he said. “I look forward to this matter now being heard by the court in full.” 

The case, supported by non-profit organisations including Foxglove and Amnesty International, also demands a formal apology from Meta for the murder of Meareg. The Katiba Institute, a Kenya-based NGO focusing on the Kenyan constitution, is the third claimant in the case.

In 2022 an analysis by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Observer found that Facebook was letting users post content inciting violence through hate and misinformation, despite being aware that it was fuelling tensions in Tigray.

Meta rejected the claims at the time, saying it had “invested in safety and security measures” to tackle hate and inflammatory language along with “aggressive steps to stop the spread of misinformation” in Ethiopia.

In January the company said it was removing factcheckers and “dramatically” reducing the amount of censorship on the platform, although it would continue to tackle illegal and high severity violations. Meta said it did not comment on ongoing legal matters. By Dan Milmo Global technology editor, Guardian

NIS DG Noordin Haji during the inaugural public lecture at the National Intelligence & Research University on Kenya’s evolving security landscape challenges and opportunities, March 28, 2025. 

National Inteligence Service (NIS) Director General, Noordin Haji, has again cautioned members of the public against misusing social media platforms, terming it a huge threat to national and regional security.

Speaking during the Mashariki Cooperation Conference in Naivasha, Nakuru County on Thursday, April 3, Haji noted that the rise of social media misuse could distabilise the country and plunge it into unrest. 

Addressing a security delegation, the NIS boss maintained that the misuse of social media remained a huge threat to national security, as most people used the platform to fuel misinformation and incite violence.

He reiterated that while free speech remained a cornerstone of democracy, there needed to be a balance between free speech and national security.

 

Francis Gaitho

“Across the continent, we have seen a considerable increase in the use of social media platforms for advocacy and mobilization for civil actions. However, this has led to the emergence of coordinated and sustained misinformation and disinformation,” Haji stated.

“The misinformation and disinformation are aimed at misguiding citizens, leading them to make poor decisions and shaping their perceptions of their governments,” he added. 

The two-day meeting, attended by high-profile security officials from across the continent, focused on emerging security threats and sought to improve collaboration between African nations in intelligence sharing and response strategies.

His sentiments were echoed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who cautioned the youth against the misuse of social media to spread hate and inflammatory narratives, reiterating that such vices posed a threat to national unity.

"Issues of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence to spread disinformation, spread inflammatory rhetoric, and perpetuate technology-related threats such as cyber fraud are of great concern to us," Murkomen said.

Meanwhile, Haji’s latest statement comes barely a week after he raised similar concerns about the escalating misuse of digital platforms to incite violence in the country. 

Speaking at the National Intelligence Research conference at the University of Nairobi on March 28, Haji likened the spread of false information to the nationwide anti-government protests witnessed in June last year.

"The recent developments, particularly the Gen Z protests, demonstrated the destabilizing effect of digital activism, which tested our political, economic, and security resilience," Haji stated. By Timothy Cerullo, Kenyans.co.ke

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka during the unveiling of DNA party (formerly Umoja Summit party). (Collins Oduor, Standard)

Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka has revealed plans to form a grand coalition aimed at unseating President William Ruto  in the 2027 General Election.

Kalonzo said Kenyans are frustrated with the Kenya Kwanza regime, which he accused of failing to deliver justice and subjecting citizens to economic hardship.

“The new alliance, the People’s Coalition, will welcome as many political organisations as possible so that we can develop that space,” said Kalonzo.

He added: “But I want to propose that we be guided at the appropriate time. The 2002 moment, when Mwai Kibaki was elected unanimously as Kenya’s third President, was a liberation movement. This is another such moment.” 

Kalonzo claimed that regions across Kenya, including the Western region, are yearning for change, redemption, and liberation, declaring that “Kenya will never be led by thieves again.”

“Are you ready? This is the moment. Seize it and take action. Your voice, your action,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

Kalonzo was speaking yesterday during the Umoja Summit Party’s Annual Delegates Convention (ADC) in Parklands, Nairobi. 

Among other resolutions, the ADC approved the party’s name change to the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and confirmed its acting leaders. The party leader is Godfrey Kanoti, with Walter Mong’are as deputy party leader. Barack Muluka serves as the national chairman, while Naomi Cidi is the secretary-general and also the deputy secretary-general.

Kalonzo declared that the Azimio coalition no longer exists, stating that it effectively collapsed when the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) joined the government and donated its members to Ruto’s administration. 

He accused Ruto of presiding over a corrupt government, alleging that public funds are being used to bribe people through donations.

Kalonzo also criticised the regime for denying Kenyans justice after last year’s Gen Z protests and urged the public to take action.

He called on the Kenya Kwanza government to refund the KSh300 that young people were charged for national identity cards before the fee was recently scrapped. By James Wanzala, The Standard

"The closure of borders hinders economic growth, social cohesion, and cultural exchange," declared the Bishops of Rwanda and Burundi at the conclusion of the first Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the Association of Ordinary Conferences of Rwanda and Burundi (ACOREB), which took place from March 30 to April 1 at the Saint Joseph Center in Kibungo, Rwanda.


The government in Bujumbura has closed the land border with Rwanda, accusing the country of supporting Burundian rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government in Kigali denies these accusations.


Burundi also believes that the perpetrators of the failed 2015 coup are in Rwanda (see Fides 15/5/2015) and intends to bring them to justice. However, Rwanda says that under international law, it is unable to extradite individuals seeking political asylum.
"We ask our leaders to act wisely and mercifully to restore normalcy and promote unity between our nations," the bishops of the two countries said in the statement presented at a press conference.


The crisis between Rwanda and Burundi is linked to the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where large parts of the provinces of North and South Kivu have fallen under the control of the Rwandan-backed M23 guerrilla movement. Burundi, which had stationed its own military units in the Congolese province of South Kivu, withdrew them shortly before the M23 and Rwandan troops captured the provincial capital, Bukavu.


The government in Bujumbura now fears a possible incursion by the M23 and Rwandans into its territory and an expansion of the Congolese conflict to the entire Great Lakes region. For this reason, the bishops of Rwanda and Burundi also join the message of the Association of Central African Episcopal Conferences (ACEAC), which calls for negotiations to resolve the conflicts peacefully.


"From February 24 to 26, 2025, the Association of Central African Episcopal Conferences (ACEAC) held a meeting in Dar es Salaam to seek solutions for peace in the Great Lakes region, particularly in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo," recall the bishops of Burundi and Rwanda. "The members of ACOREB welcome and support the message of ACEAC, which calls on all parties involved in this deadly war to return to the negotiating table to resolve their conflicts through peaceful means and sincere and inclusive dialogue."

"The Episcopal Conference of Burundi (CECAB) and the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda (CEPR) have translated this message into the local language and disseminated it in all parishes to raise awareness among the faithful, to pray for peace in our sub-region, and to be witnesses of fraternity," they emphasize.

"In a world where many people sow discord and build walls of division for their own selfish interests and greedy ambitions, the bishops urge the Catholic faithful to invest in building bridges and to bear witness to communion, universal fraternity, and the truth." (L.M.) Agenzia Fides

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