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Several African countries have implemented regulatory sandboxes that are relevant to the adoption of AI. Most of them have originated in the financial sector, often hosted at the national or central bank, and focus on fintech innovation. Below are two sandbox examples from Mauritius, as well as a summary of examples from other countries.
Regulatory Sandbox License (RSL)
The Mauritius RSL is managed by the Economic Development Board (EDB). As the 2018 Mauritius AI Strategy suggests, the sandbox "[a]llows for drafting a tailor made, project specific ‘piece of law’ in case that an innovative project is not fully regulated". See this RSL guideline for fintech projects and a snapshot from page 10 describing how the specific licensing conditions are determined, as well as the need for safeguards.
Sandbox Framework for Adoption of Innovative Technologies in the Public Service
This Mauritius Sandbox Framework is managed by the Public Sector Business Transformation Bureau (PSBTB) and Central Informatics Bureau (CIB). It is specifically designed to help public sector organisations better understand the capabilities and costs of emerging technologies before proceeding with traditional procurement processes. The framework has been used to support the development of an AI Chatbot for Human Resource Management Manual. The process for implementing the framework is outlined in the figure below, from page 13 of the framework.
Examples of sandboxes in other African countries
In West, Central and North Africa:
- Bank of Ghana Regulatory Sandbox and framework
- CBN Regulatory Sandbox and framework in Nigeria
- BSL Sandbox Program in Sierra Leone
- Central Bank of Egypt Regulatory Sandbox and Regulatory Sandbox Framework
In East and Southern Africa:
- Communications Authority of Kenya consulting on a Framework for Emerging Technologies Regulatory Sandbox
- Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group Regulatory Sandbox in South Africa
- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Fintech Regulatory Sandbox and Guidelines
- Bank of Zambia Regulatory Sandbox and Guidelines
- Zambia planning to implement a Government digital innovation regulatory sandbox in 2024
- National Bank of Rwanda regulation on Regulatory Sandbox. Rwanda's national AI policy also calls for a regulatory sandbox on AI.
Examples from other regions:
- Denmark AI regulatory sandbox
- Reserve Bank of India Enabling Framework for Regulatory Sandbox updated in Feb 2024
More information can be found on the Policy & Governance Map by selecting Research and innovation under the Policy Areas filter. Please contact us via email or Twitter if data is incorrect or out of date.
