ICT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
AI’s Future in the Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
So enter African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the hopes and desires that it brings for Trade and Industrial Development across the continent. ACFTA could accelerate Africa’s futures according to findings issued at African Ports Evolution, with over 90% of Africa’s imports and exports being conducted via sea, making finding ways of bettering shipping between countries in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) not only relevant but particularly essential.
As part of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Strategic Plan (2018-2023) it highlighted the need to..."Integrate new and advancing technologies in the regulatory framework." Organisations and corporate entities are realising that ensuring better shipping means taking advantage of technology such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI). Exploreai who are producers of AI-driven software and digital twins for global companies, notes that AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. These processes include learning (the acquisition of information and rules for using the information), reasoning (using the rules to reach approximate or definite conclusions), and self-correction. AI is made possible by using big data collected over time alongside the expertise of professionals in an industry to make predictions that will improve the operations of various industries applicable therefore to industries such as shipping.
The applications of AI in the shipping industry will have a vast variety of applications. Some of the applications
include systems for supporting maintenance, voyage optimization (reducing fuel consumption), automation, and monitoring of shipping vessels. These applications are predicted to have the maritime industry spend 931 million USD by the end of 2022 alone.
Starting in 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will make it mandatory for ship owners to report Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) for their vessels annually. The new regulations would impact all trade vessels namely cargo ships and “RoPax” ferries, as well as cruise vessels grossing more than 5 000 tonnes. The vessels would be evaluated on a grading scale ranging from A being the highest and E being the lowest. Those that fail with an E score would be prohibited from trading until corrective plans are implemented. To ensure vessels are meeting the criteria they could benefit from AI through voyage optimization and in turn reduce their current carbon emissions.
African countries and major ship owners operating in the AfCFTA region, therefore, have the opportunity to benefit from the advancing technologies as well as being part of investing in promising technologies through supporting local businesses in this endeavour. There are considerations around safety and security as well as costs to the industry as a whole which cannot be ignored when assessing the incorporation of AI into the AfCFTA regions and global shipping industry however.
What is clear however is that AI cannot be ignored as the AfCFTA develops and matures for fear of the shipping industry in the region at large being left behind. As always, the conversation continues at briefing@rdjpublishing.africa