From Data Governance to AI Governance in the Middle East and Africa

"As organizations in the Middle East and Africa accelerate toward AI-driven futures, the critical question is shifting - not just whether data is accurate, but whether AI decisions are defensible, explainable, and governed at the speed of autonomy. In the era of agentic AI, governance is no longer a compliance checkbox: It is the foundation for trust, scale, and competitive advantage," says Melih Murat, Associate Research Director, Artificial Intelligence, IDC.

Executive snapshot

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Situation overview

• Understanding the trajectory toward AI governance
• A framework to assess the maturity of AI governance in the Middle East and Africa
• Where the region stands on governance today
  • Responsible AI and compliance
  • Risk management
  • Data governance
• The shift: From data governance to AI governance
  • What changes when AI governance extends data governance
  • The operating model: Who actually governs AI?
  • AI centers of excellence as emerging governance vehicles
  • Why agentic AI raises the governance bar
  • Key governance gaps that must be closed in the agentic AI era

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