The UAE, Malaysia, and Rwanda have signed a strategic partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption across the Global South, expanding an initiative first launched by the UAE and Rwanda in 2024.

As reported by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the agreement was formalized under the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) global network. The three nations will collaborate to promote responsible AI governance, talent exchange, and joint innovation projects aimed at driving sustainable development.

The new Memorandum of Understanding expands the scope of the C4IR AI Fellowship Programme, a knowledge-sharing platform connecting AI leaders, innovators, and experts. Initially signed during the 2024 WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, the program’s enlargement to include Malaysia is expected to deepen international cooperation among Global South countries.

Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, Gobind Singh Deo, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to bridging global AI expertise. “By sharing knowledge, exchanging talent, and co-creating solutions, we aim to address critical challenges and harness AI’s immense potential for our nations and the wider global community,” Singh Deo said.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, which oversees the UAE C4IR, said the initiative will help countries unlock greater value from AI and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications, “guided by our leadership’s commitment to inclusive, sustainable development.”

Leaders from the WEF and C4IR Rwanda also praised the move as a milestone for AI collaboration. Crystal Rugege, Managing Director of C4IR Rwanda, highlighted its alignment with Rwanda’s AI Innovation Lab and Global AI Summit on Africa, noting it would strengthen capacity building and knowledge transfer.

The UAE C4IR, launched in 2019 through a partnership between the UAE government and WEF, has played a central role in fostering cross-border technology collaboration, with the expanded AI fellowship poised to further integrate Global South expertise into the global AI ecosystem.

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