Artificial Intelligence (AI) and regional collaboration took centre stage on the final day of the Southern Africa Social Security Stakeholders' Forum, as delegates explored how emerging technologies can improve social protection while safeguarding personal information.
Representatives from Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, Kenya and Namibia discussed how governments can develop policy frameworks to ensure AI is used responsibly.
They also stressed the need to align AI systems with data protection laws and maintain the authenticity of official documents.
The General Manager for ICT at the Social Security Commission, Tersia ||Gowases, said AI has the potential to transform the commission's services, provided it is implemented responsibly.
"So we really are developing our policies and still having AI in public and in the testing phase. But in terms of how we are dealing with marginalised communities, the team is in the process of developing a USSD or, basically, an SMS-based interface that allows anybody, whether you have a smart or, for lack of a better word, just a simple or plain or functional feature phone, to be able to access certain SSE services."
The forum also reflected on the value of regional cooperation in strengthening social security systems.
The chairperson of the ISSA Southern Africa Liaison Committee, Futhi Tembe, said discussions showed that innovation must go hand in hand with strong governance and public trust.
"So that's what we have learned today. So we've also learned that with the use of AI, most of our work as social security can be much easier. And everything is possible, including these interventions on incorporating the informal sector. We can use all the AI tools available to also incorporate them into the systems."
ISSA South Africa Liaison Office representative Thembinkosi Mnisi said knowledge sharing remains essential as countries face similar challenges and opportunities.
"So the reason why we decided together was to discuss or share ideas on how to improve social security in our individual countries. We have seen that we are operating in an evolving time, so there are dynamics that are happening, so it was just to share ideas on how to improve service delivery for our members."