With Ghana aiming to become a leader in artificial intelligence in West Africa, energy expert Lom Nuku Ahlijah has urged policymakers to adopt a multi-sectoral and regional approach to AI regulation.

The law lecturer and Head of Department of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School was speaking at the GIMPA Law School Faculty Lecture Workshop Series held at the Daniel McKorley Moot Court Auditorium in Accra.

It was on the topic: Artificial Intelligence and the Ghana Power Sector.

At a law faculty workshop, Lom Ahlijah highlighted the high energy demand of AI systems and their impact on energy supply.

He addressed rapid growth of AI adoption in Ghana, particularly in agriculture, fintech, and healthcare.

However, he highlighted that Ghana lacks the regulatory framework to manage AI’s mass adoption given the energy landscape.

“We must learn from the EU, which is actively working on AI-specific energy policies, and from China," he said on February 13.

He proposed a multi-sectoral regulatory sandbox to test and validate the impact of AI on various sectors including the energy sector which was the focus of his presentation.

Furthermore, he stressed the need for a regional AI energy policy under ECOWAS to ensure a harmonized approach to AI energy regulation.

The Head of Department finally called for wider stakeholder engagements to ensure a workable policy and framework