Can Africa take control of its digital future?
This article examines Africa's ongoing efforts to transition from a digital consumer to a creator, highlighting the challenges of limited infrastructure and reliance on foreign investment. Experts discuss the risks of data sovereignty as major powers like the US and China invest heavily in the continent's tech sector.
Why it matters
The digital independence of African nations is critical for their long-term economic autonomy and ability to shape ethical AI and infrastructure policies.
Just under 20 years ago Kenya pioneered the use of mobile money. Since then, other countries in Africa have carved out a share of the digital market for themselves, from gaming in Morocco to artificial intelligence in Tunisia. But the picture is not the same across the whole continent. A lot of governments face too many socio-economic challenges and limited resources to spend money on digital infrastructures. Instead, foreign countries like the United States and China are investing in the African tech market.
The bulk of South Africa’s data centre investment comes from American providers of cloud, networking and storage services. And while this may provide a boost for local economies and create local jobs, it also creates some risks, as data resides outside of the country.
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