This paper develops a community driven ethical framework for artificial intelligence (AI) that aligns with sustainabledevelopment in Africa. It begins by analysing global AI ethics declarations, such as the Montréal Declaration forResponsible AI, which calls for inclusive deliberation and ecological sustainability, and the Toronto Declaration, whichcentres human rights law, equality and non discrimination. It also examines African instruments like the African Declarationon Internet Rights and Freedoms, which warns that policy processes often exclude civil society and emphasises the needfor accessible, affordable and open digital ecosystems, and Agenda 2063’s aspirations for inclusive growth, goodgovernance and a people driven future. A mixed methods approach combines normative analysis of these documents withparticipatory fieldwork in Nigerian communities and case studies of AI applications in health and agriculture. Findingsreveal a convergence on principles of human rights, fairness, inclusivity, transparency, accountability and ecologicalstewardship, while community participants stress concerns about data exploitation, algorithmic bias, privacy, equitablebenefits and preservation of cultural values. Ubuntu/Botho philosophy, which defines being human through recognizingothers’ humanity and emphasises interdependence, compassion and reciprocity, emerged as a resonant ethical lens. Theresulting framework integrates human rights based standards, African development visions and Ubuntu ethics. It proposesparticipatory governance, community data stewardship, ethical impact assessments and capacity building initiatives toensure that AI deployment in Africa supports inclusive, sustainable development while safeguarding rights and culturalvalues.