AUTHOR=Thaldar Donrich , Botes Marietjie W., Badru Abdulbaqi , Chenia Hafizah Y., Duma Sinegugu , Dlamini Siyabonga B., Amin Nyna , Hugo Wayne , Govender Reginald , Bruce-Brand Janet , Koorbanally Neil A., Chuturgoon Anil 
  
TITLE=Generative AI governance in higher education: a case study from Africa
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Political Science
  
VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2025
  
YEAR=2025
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1666661
  
DOI=10.3389/fpos.2025.1666661
  
ISSN=2673-3145
  
ABSTRACT=This article presents a pioneering case study from Africa on the institutional integration of generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) in higher education. Drawing on the experience of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa, we describe the development of academic guidelines for the responsible use of large language models (LLMs) across teaching, learning, and research contexts. The UKZN AI Academic Guidelines are among the first in Africa to offer a comprehensive institutional framework aligned with national policy priorities, while also responding to global debates on transparency, authorship, and academic integrity. This study highlights the distinctive challenges and opportunities of Gen-AI adoption in a resource-constrained, multicultural, and rapidly transforming academic environment. It offers insight into how African universities can craft forward-looking, enabling policies that prepare staff and students for an AI-driven future. We describe a participatory, interdisciplinary approach to policy development and examine how the Guidelines address practical questions of curriculum integration, ethical use, and disclosure. By foregrounding an African perspective, this case contributes to a more geographically inclusive discourse on educational technology. It demonstrates how global principles of trustworthy AI can be locally interpreted and operationalised, offering a model that may be relevant for institutions across the Global South and beyond.