As we celebrate Africa Month, I feel an urgent sense of responsibility to voice what too many policymakers still overlook: Africa’s future cannot be copy-pasted from global AI narratives. Artificial Intelligence is not just a tool of automation — it is a force reshaping power, identity, economy, and ethics. And yet, Africa remains on the margins of this transformation.
While the current AI governance ecosystem is expanding rapidly, it is overwhelmingly shaped by institutions and ideologies from the Global North — North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. These frameworks reflect the sociopolitical concerns, economic priorities, and philosophical values of their creators. Meanwhile, Africa — despite being a fast-digitizing continent — has not yet produced a convincing, unified AI governance narrative rooted in our values, our social contexts, and our sustainable development ambitions.
Africa’s AI Paradox: Data-Rich, Power-Poor
We are rich in data but poor in agency. From mobile penetration and fintech innovations to climate sensors and genomics, African nations are generating enormous datasets. Yet over 80% of this infrastructure depends on foreign platforms (Research ICT Africa, 2023). Our data is extracted, processed, and monetized elsewhere. The result? Algorithmic systems trained on non-African realities, leading to biased outcomes that are culturally insensitive or even harmful.
We are not simply importing software; we are importing systems of logic, values, and control. Whether it’s facial recognition that misidentifies Black faces or automated loan approvals that silently exclude women and youth — these issues are not hypothetical. They are happening now, quietly, algorithmically.
The Strategic Risks of Ethical Exclusion
Without governance frameworks grounded in our realities, Africa risks becoming a passive consumer of AI innovations rather than an active, sovereign co-creator. We must confront the asymmetry of power in AI development, or the fourth industrial revolution will deepen the global inequalities created by the first three.
Let us not forget: AI is value-laden. It reflects the philosophies and politics of those who design and regulate it. If we continue relying on imported models without critique or contextualization, Africa will face AI systems that undermine our autonomy, erode our cultures, and widen the digital divide.
Responsible AI for the SDGs: Urgency, Not Option
The promise of AI for sustainable development is real. AI is already helping diagnose rare diseases, predict droughts, and optimize agricultural productivity across parts of Africa. But this potential comes with high stakes.
According to Vinuesa et al. (2020), AI can enable 134 of the 169 SDG targets, but it can also inhibit 59 of them — particularly in areas like inequality, privacy, and ethical oversight. In Africa, these risks are magnified by weak regulatory environments, infrastructure gaps, and limited local capacity.
This is why I argue for a paradigm shift: we need a responsible African AI governance framework that embeds our communal values, anticipates ethical risks, and empowers citizens — especially women and marginalized groups — to shape our AI future.
The Ubuntu Principle: An African Ethical Framework
Ubuntu, our philosophy of shared humanity — “I am because we are” — must guide how we design, deploy, and regulate AI. This means promoting transparency, collective good, inclusivity, and justice in digital systems. Our approach must center on:
- Contextual ethics: A rejection of one-size-fits-all models. What is fair, private, or just in AI must be interpreted through African cultural lenses.
- Community-based governance: AI policies must be co-designed with civil society, academic institutions, and traditional leadership.
- Pan-African multilingualism: We must support the development of AI systems that speak and understand our languages — from Arabic and Swahili to Wolof and Amazigh.
From Fragmentation to Coordination: The Governance Gap
Africa’s AI policy landscape is fragmented and underdeveloped. As of 2024, only a handful of countries — Mauritius, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa — have published national AI strategies. Many others lack basic legal frameworks for data protection, ethical AI, or digital rights.
Yet we have models to draw from. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030) is a solid start, but implementation lags. We need to build on this momentum by creating a Continental Charter on AI and Data Sovereignty, with five core pillars:
- Data Ownership & Protection: Africans must own their data, with rights to consent, transparency, and redress.
- Ethical AI Guidelines: Built on human rights and Ubuntu, to inform public procurement and private sector innovation.
- Public AI Infrastructure: Investments in open-source platforms and data commons to prevent monopolies.
- Regional AI Councils: To oversee strategy, funding, and cross-border coordination.
- AI Education for All: From primary schools to universities, we must embed AI literacy across generations.
Tunisia to South Africa: Seeds of Sovereign Innovation
As a Tunisian, I have witnessed how our nation — despite resource limitations — is stepping into the AI conversation with vision and urgency. We are developing ethical frameworks, piloting AI tools in healthcare and agriculture, and engaging with international networks. Similarly, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana are building civic tech ecosystems and AI regulatory sandboxes.
But these scattered efforts are not enough. Africa needs a continental coalition, built not only on shared technological goals, but on sovereign innovation — innovation that is culturally grounded, socially just, and democratically governed.
The Time Is Now: A Continental Wake-Up Call
Africa must transition from being a testing ground for unregulated technologies to becoming the architect of its own AI future. This requires reclaiming control over our data, developing inclusive AI governance frameworks, and driving innovation that reflects our unique contexts and values.
The path forward is not about rejection of global technologies but rather thoughtful adaptation and sovereign innovation—creating AI systems that are rooted in dignity, equity, and collective resilience. By prioritizing African values, needs, and aspirations in our approach to AI, we can ensure these powerful technologies serve as tools for inclusive development rather than instruments of new forms of dependency.
Let 2025 mark the year Africa shifts decisively from passive technological adoption to sovereign digital innovation—charting a course that other emerging regions might follow.
This is not only about technology. It is about power, dignity, and destiny.
Let’s build an Africa where Artificial Intelligence becomes African Intelligence — born from our resilience, shaped by our ethics, and driven by the dreams of our people.
By Maha Jouini | AI Ethicist and Tech Policy Advocate