Advancing African Foreign Interests With Generative AI and Digital Diplomacy

It is no news that many African countries partner with themselves and with other foreign countries for mutual gains, and this is where many African countries fall prey to the foreign Trojan horse. Against this background, the objectives of this chapter are to: (i) understand diplomatic relations in Africa, (ii) explore generative AI as a driver of digital diplomacy in Africa, and (iii) propose an AI-driven digital diplomacy framework for advancing African foreign interests. The chapter adopts a qualitative research method and a thematic analysis of relevant scholarly literature on generative AI, digital diplomacy, and African foreign interests. The findings revealed that GenAI diplomacy is a growing trend in Africa with its unique challenges. Amongst other things, the chapter recommends creating AI-based research centers for diplomatic strategy and foreign affairs analysis, alongside training diplomats in AI technologies for effective communication and negotiation, thereby advancing African foreign interests.