Kojo Apeagyei is an AI Consultant at the independent research organisation Energy Systems Catapult, where he supports responsible AI adoption within the energy sector. His research explores the ethical design and deployment of AI in African contexts through the lens of Afrofuturism.
Michael Kwet provides a critical analysis of how technological imperialism operates at the architectural level of digital systems. Using South Africa as a case study, he examines how U.S. tech corporations exert colonial power not just through data and surveillance but through fundamental control of the digital ecosystem itself - including software, hardware, and network infrastructure. Kwet argues that this architectural control gives Big Tech unprecedented influence over the Global South's political, economic, and cultural life.
This primer from Research ICT Africa delves into how AI intersects with global economic and power dynamics in African postcolonial contexts. It analyses how major tech companies generate revenue through user data exploitation and algorithmic decision-making while simultaneously shaping the governance landscape - lobbying for favourable tax policies and utilising low-cost labour in the Global South. Although the primer acknowledges AI's potential risks for increasing inequality, the authors also recognise opportunities aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa's Agenda 2063. Essentially, AI can be a force for good when steered towards good.
This paper examines the practical requirements for successful AI implementation across the continent. It outlines several crucial prerequisites: a trained local workforce, adequate computational infrastructure, representative datasets, government regulation, and strong civil institutions. The authors also provide a critical analysis of Africa's AI startup landscape, noting gaps and sectors (like fintech and health-tech) which dominate the space. The paper adopts a fairly optimistic view of corporate involvement, suggesting that partnerships between tech giants and African governments might help counter colonial dynamics
Exploring the complexities of data-sharing practices in African contexts, the authors highlight the necessity of responsible data-sharing practices prioritising local communities, particularly marginalised ones. The paper reveals how contemporary data collection often mirrors colonial extraction patterns, with data being gathered from African communities while benefits flow elsewhere. The author identifies how modern tech rhetoric about "helping the unbanked" and "connecting the unconnected" eerily echoes colonial-era justifications about "educating the uneducated" perpetuating power asymmetries in the global data ecosystem.
An excellent paper for reflecting on how ethics differs across cultures. The author, Sabelo Mhlambi, advocates for incorporating African philosophical principles into AI governance. Mhlambi critiques the global North-centric foundations of current AI systems and their underlying conception of human nature. Drawing on Ubuntu's philosophy, he argues for an ethical framework based on compassion, equity, and relationality, which are not prevalent in AI governance frameworks from the global North. Mhlambi proposes that communities should have greater control over their data, treating it as intellectual property that can be licensed or revoked. This emphasises the need for AI governance to acknowledge society's interconnectedness.