A consortium of African and European organizations has launched a four-year research and advocacy project aimed at ensuring that African perspectives, priorities and knowledge systems are meaningfully integrated into global and regional governance of artificial intelligence.
Titled “Fostering Digital Pan-Africanism in AI Governance through Evidence and Action,” the project will run until the end of March 2030. It is led by the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research at the University of Bremen in Germany, and includes Nigeria-based Media Rights Agenda, the Association for Progressive Communications — a worldwide network of organizations and social activists working on ICTs for development and social justice, with its chief operating office in Melville, South Africa — and the Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa.
The project is funded by Volkswagen Stiftung, a private German research-funding organization based in Hannover, through a 1.87 million euro grant under its “Change! Fellowship” initiative — which supports researchers collaborating with practitioners and partners outside academia on societal change processes. The consortium is coordinated by Dennis Redeker, a political scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bremen.
The initiative conducts mixed-methods research and co-develops decolonial, rights-based and Pan-African frameworks for governing AI across the continent, while supporting Pan-African civil society networks on AI governance. The team combines academic expertise from political science, communication studies and law with three leading African and transnational civil society organizations experienced in digital rights advocacy, media freedom and policy engagement.
Strathmore University’s Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law in Nairobi will serve as an associated academic partner. The project is also supported by an advisory board of 20 figures from African and global human rights and AI governance organizations, including researchers, policymakers and activists.
The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches to capture both institutional dynamics and public attitudes toward AI governance. Research will include interviews and participatory workshops with civil society representatives across Africa, enabling the co-production of knowledge and policy-relevant insights. The project will analyze fundamental rights charters, conduct surveys in several countries, and convene discussions with civil society organizations across the continent. It will also conduct and regularly publish systematic analyses of African AI policy documents at national, regional and international levels.
The team intends to translate research findings into actionable outcomes. Through stakeholder engagement, policy dialogues, digital policy forums and knowledge-sharing activities, the project seeks to support policymakers, civil society actors and regional institutions in shaping AI governance that reflects African priorities and values — ensuring that AI systems and governance models consider African values and needs rather than simply adopting Western or Chinese standards and models.
