From Indigenous Knowledge to AI: Co-Creating Climate-Smart African Extension Systems

Across Africa, Indigenous and local knowledge systems have enabled communities to adapt to climate variability, manage ecosystems, and sustain livelihoods for generations. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, and data analytics are transforming climate monitoring, early warning systems, and agricultural extension services. However, these two powerful knowledge systems are often disconnected, leading to solutions that are technologically advanced but socially misaligned, or locally grounded but difficult to scale.  This interactive session explores how Indigenous knowledge and AI can be ethically and effectively co-created to strengthen climate-smart extension systems in Africa. Drawing on African-led case studies, the session will bring together Indigenous knowledge holders, extension practitioners, scientists, technologists, policymakers, youth, and civil society actors to examine practical pathways for integrating local ecological knowledge with digital and AI-enabled tools.  Participants will move beyond discussion to co-design context-specific extension models that enhance climate resilience, respect cultural knowledge, and improve decision-making at farm, landscape, and policy levels. The session explicitly links knowledge to action by identifying governance principles, equity safeguards, and implementation strategies that support scaling while protecting community rights.  By positioning Africa as a producer of hybrid knowledge systems, this session contributes to sustainability transformation through inclusive innovation, strengthened science, policy community interfaces, and actionable solutions for climate adaptation and resilience.