Maha Jouini is a Global South AI thought leader, policy strategist, and digital transformation advocate with over a decade of experience working across Africa and the MENA region. Her work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human rights, and inclusive development — anchored in an unwavering conviction that innovation must reflect dignity, justice, and the lived realities of African societies. As Vice President of the Agence Francophone et Africaine de l'Intelligence Artificielle (AFRIA) and digital communication and advocacy lead at AUDA-NEPAD, she shapes continental conversations on AI policy, responsible innovation, and Africa's digital sovereignty. At the Global Center on AI Governance, she serves as a Fellow Researcher advancing knowledge on Women and AI in Francophone Africa, and as a Fellow of the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP, 2022) and certified practitioner of Stanford Engineering's Ethics, Technology and Public Policy Program, she brings both institutional authority and field-level rigour to every platform she occupies.
Her policy and advocacy work spans continents and communities. As a Researcher with the Global Index on Responsible AI, she conducted regional ethical risk assessments on Senegal's AI policies and engaged stakeholders to promote inclusive adoption. In Mauritania, she led mobile technology-driven digital literacy programs for uneducated women and girls in rural communities — closing education gaps where institutions had not reached. A finalist of the prestigious She Shapes AI Award and a published author on AI and economic development in both Arabic and English, she is especially recognized for championing culturally grounded AI governance — drawing on African philosophical frameworks such as Ubuntu and Hikma to make the case that technology must not only be intelligent, but wise.
Her roots in human rights advocacy run deep. From championing migrant rights and GBV prevention at the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Tunisia, to serving as Regional Advocacy and Digital Communication Officer for the African Union's Campaign to End Child Marriage — advising the AU's Special Youth Envoy and shaping policy strategies that informed continental child protection frameworks — Maha has always understood technology as a tool for justice, not just growth. She began her career as a Blogger and Team Leader with Tunivisions during Tunisia's democratic transition in 2011, where she helped shape youth engagement at one of the most pivotal moments in the country's modern history.