Africa, Whose AI Is It?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly re-engineering global power structures, and Africa must critically ask: "Whose AI framework will ultimately govern African data and innovation?"

Since the African Charter on Human and People's Rights took effect in 1986, the core values of justice and freedom must now be structurally engineered into AI governance. The primary task is to ensure that technological progress translates into Zero-Risk Innovation, protecting human rights while maximizing economic potential.

Strategic Potential and Governance Risks

AI is a powerful economic catalyst for the continent, estimated to add $1.5 trillion to Africa's economy by 2030, if developed with disciplined governance. Local applications, such as election tracking in Kenya or systems documenting human rights abuses in South Africa, demonstrate the continent's readiness to apply this technology to boost education, farming, healthcare, and governance.

However, this potential is directly threatened by critical governance deficits. One of such is digital colonialism.

The reliance on foreign-built AI systems risks a modern form of exploitation where external powers retain control over African data and value extraction. This fundamentally undermines Data Sovereignty, the core principle of African ownership and control over its own data.

Another threat is algorithmic bias and surveillance. AI is not neutral; its outputs reflect the values, and often the biases, of its builders. Unchecked AI systems risk perpetuating existing inequalities through discriminatory outcomes, mass surveillance, and severe privacy violations.

The Legal Framework

A rights-respecting approach is the only viable Policy-Tech Advantage, aligning perfectly with Agenda 2063. While initiatives led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) are critical for developing a continental AI strategy, a fundamental challenge is in how African legal frameworks for data protection, labour, and intellectual property are often ill-equipped to handle the speed and complexity of AI.

Research by Research ICT Africa (RIA) points out several key challenges. Many current laws on data protection, labor, and intellectual property don't address AI properly. Too often, decisions about AI come from the Global North, with little African input. Africa must transition from analysis to enforcement using frameworks that meet its specific needs.

Conclusion

The question is no longer "Whose AI is it anyway?" but "How does Africa leverage its policy to govern its own AI?" The answers are in the following:

Adopting this policy-tech approach, Africa can successfully navigate the risks of unchecked AI, including environmental costs and unequal benefit distribution, securing its Digital Sovereignty and ensuring that AI is a tool for human flourishing, not control.