The chief executive of MTN Group, Mr Ralph Mupita, has been named as a commissioner on the AI for Good Global Commission, an initiative of the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union that looks to expand digital access and accelerate the economic impact of responsible AI.
The MTN CEO was named alongside several leaders from government and business as a commissioner of the AI for Good Global Commission.
“It’s an honour to be one of the founding commissioners of the AI for Good Global Commission,” said Mr Mupita.
“At MTN Group, we believe that the developments in AI have the potential to advance health, education, food security and industrial productivity,” he added, noting that AI must be safe, ethical and globally inclusive, and that these perspectives align fully with the work of this global commission.
The commission is made up of over 40 founding members, including leaders from government, business and international organisations.
Other commissioners include Nvidia CEO, Mr Jensen Huang, Microsoft President, Mr Brad Smith and Mr Andy Jassy, their counterpart at Amazon.
The organisation builds on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which helped shape global priorities for extending digital inclusion and economic development.
The first meeting of the commission, which is co-chaired by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
MTN said that strategic priorities are to ‘leverage AI for growth’, targeting R30 billion in value-creation opportunities in the next three to five years.
Mr Mupita joined the board of Dangote Fertiliser in January as the firm prepares to expand and list on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The South African also spearheaded the listing of MTN Nigeria on the Nigerian bourse in 2019, making it the second most valued company on the Nigerian stock market after BUA Foods Limited.