Education ministers from the East African Community (EAC) have adopted a regional artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and approved an AI course designed for university undergraduates in every subject, not only those studying computing or engineering.

The decisions were made at the 21st Sectoral Council on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports, which met from 27 to 31 October at the new headquarters of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) in Kampala, Uganda, the EAC said in a statement on Saturday. Tanzania's The Citizen and Kenya's Aasai TV also reported the decisions.

What ministers agreed

According to the EAC, ministers adopted three regional plans: an AI strategy, a digital transformation strategy and a biotechnology strategy. The bloc says they give member states a shared framework for using technology in education, farming, healthcare, industry and public administration, while dealing with gaps in infrastructure, skills and regulation.

The headline decision for students is the AI Foundational Module. The EAC says it is meant to give undergraduates basic knowledge and practical AI skills whatever their degree. Member states were directed to consider adding it to university programmes, and IUCEA was asked to draw up a regional plan for rolling it out.

Aasai TV reported that the module will cover practical uses of AI and how to judge AI-generated content critically. IUCEA said in October, when the draft was reviewed at a workshop in Dar es Salaam, that it would also cover responsible use, data protection and ethics. Only institutions that show they are ready will be considered for a first pilot, according to IUCEA.

Ministers also approved a Regional AI Network of Universities, endorsed three AI guides for teacher training, and called for AI certification benchmarks in Kiswahili, the EAC said. The Citizen reported that the meeting was chaired by Uganda's Minister of State for Education and Sports, Phyllis Chemutai.

What is still missing

The announcement sets no rollout date and attaches no new funding. Okay News noted that the EAC itself acknowledged financial and resource constraints, and that the approval does not mean classes or pilots have started.

Why it matters for Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is not an EAC member, but it faces the same question of how to turn an AI plan into skills. President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched Zimbabwe's National AI Strategy 2026–2030 in March, The Herald and NewsDay reported on 28 October, and ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera told a tech summit in Harare that the focus should now be on putting it into practice.

East Africa's choice to teach basic AI to every undergraduate, including in arts, business and law, gives Zimbabwe's universities and policymakers a regional model to compare against. For Zimbabwean students and graduates job-hunting across the region or in the diaspora, AI literacy is fast becoming a standard expectation of employers.

What we don't know yet

When the first pilot universities will be named, and which ones.

How the module will be paid for, given the funding gap the EAC acknowledged.

Whether any member state has already committed to making it compulsory.

Sources: East African Community press release, 31 Oct 2026: https://www.eac.int/press-releases/138-education,-science-technology-news/3612-eac-ministers-adopt%20-regional-artificial-intelligence-and-digital-transformation-strategies,-approve-establishment-of-regional-ai-foundational-module-for-universities · The Citizen (Tanzania), 1 Nov 2026: https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/east-africa-news/east-african-community-ministers-approve-ai-strategy-university-technology-module-5654326 · Aasai TV (Kenya): https://www.aasaitvkenya.com/post.php/east-african-community-adopts-regional-ai-strategy-and-approves-new-university-learning-module · Okay News: https://www.okaynews.com/east-africa-ai-strategy-university-module-october-2026/ · IUCEA, 6 Oct 2026 (background): https://iucea.org/eac-advances-regional-ai-skills-initiative-to-prepare-east-african-graduates-for-the-future-of-work/ · The Herald, 28 Oct 2026 (Zimbabwe context): https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/it-must-create-jobs-improve-services-minister/ · NewsDay, 28 Oct 2026 (Zimbabwe context): https://newsday.co.zw/article/mavetera-advocates-for-practical-tech-investment-local-ai-partnerships

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