Johan Steyn, a human-centred AI advocate and thought leader, is the founder of AIforBusiness.net.
When we Africans travel overseas, particularly to English-speaking countries, the enquiries we regularly receive can be almost comical. “Do you live in a hut?” “Do you have lions in your backyard?”
It’s amusing, but it raises a wider issue about how people perceive Africa. Many Westerners learn about our continent mostly through charity appeals, documentaries and Hollywood adventure films. However, the reality is far more complex.
Africa is urbanising more rapidly than any other region in the globe. Its population is currently 1.48 billion, with a predicted increase to 2.5 billion by 2050. This makes it the youngest continent, with a median age of only 19.
Africa is home to six of the top 10 fastest-growing economies. The African Development Bank predicts that by 2025, the continent’s digital economy will contribute $180 billion to GDP annually. Africa is today known as the final unconquered market, given its rising customer base, abundant natural resources and thriving technology industry.
Modern digital philanthropy has, for some years, entered the African domain. Not with flags and troops, but with cloud servers, algorithms and genetically-engineered crops.
From colonies to cloud servers
Bill Gates’s latest $1.4 billion offer to help African farmers tackle climate change highlights old questions about power, motive and influence. Gates is one of several global tech leaders working to alter Africa’s future through technology and investment. He intends to give up the majority of his wealth by 2045.
Critics believe that philanthropy might generate new kinds of control known as “digital colonialism”, which centres on data ownership and dependency while replicating previous inequalities.
Some are concerned about “algorithmic colonialism”, in which choices, data and revenues migrate to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen rather than Nairobi or Johannesburg.
The Gates Foundation holds considerable influence. It works with genetically-modified crops, malaria eradication efforts and AI-powered farming platforms. Some African researchers and activists have detected a pattern: interventions conceived overseas, executed locally, yet overseen from afar. They contend that the organisation purports to promote empowerment through innovation.
Data, dependence and the digital divide
With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, the problem has taken on new dimensions. Global technology businesses are investing extensively in Africa. They are utilising AI to improve healthcare, agriculture and urban management.
Supporters see this as progress in growth. However, some are concerned about “algorithmic colonialism”, in which choices, data and revenues migrate to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen rather than Nairobi or Johannesburg.
According to Carnegie Endowment research, foreign-funded digital infrastructure frequently creates new dependencies that are comparable to existing ones. Cloud hosting, identity management and AI healthcare systems frequently use data centres situated outside of Africa. This complicates local governments’ ability to handle sensitive information.
Local IT professionals in Kenya and Nigeria have documented cases of AI health projects being launched without adequate permissions or data security precautions.
Making policy from outside
Today, power stems not only from possessing technology, but also from establishing the laws that govern it.
Analysts believe that foreign firms and contributors could limit the power of local agencies through a process known as “regulatory capture”.
African leaders are, however, starting to act. The African Union’s new AI strategy emphasises ethical governance and data localisation. Think tanks such as CIPESA and the Policy Centre for the New South call for stronger continental frameworks to avoid unequal alliances based on historical dependency.
The debate over the Gates Foundation
The Gates Foundation is by far the most well-known and contentious figure in this story. Its large funding allows it to influence research and public policy throughout Africa. Supporters applaud its efforts to combat diseases and develop new farming practices. However, many people assume its projects can avoid public scrutiny.
Scientists and community groups in Ivory Coast and Uganda have criticised the lack of transparency surrounding genetically-modified agricultural trials and artificial intelligence-driven farming programmes.
Reverend Gabriel S Manyangadze of SAFCEI and other church and environmental leaders argue that the narrative of “saving Africa” can disguise deeper political and economic motivations.
Africa rising − on its own terms
This isn’t just a story about victimisation. Business people and researchers all around the continent are recovering their narrative. Start-ups are developing AI systems in languages such as Swahili, isiZulu and Hausa.
Concurrently, universities are formulating ethical AI principles based on their cultural understanding. The State of AI in Africa Conference, for example, showcases homegrown technology such as climate modelling algorithms and open-data precision farming applications.
Governments are also adapting their approaches. Kenya is revamping data governance, and South Africa has formed an AI ethics group. Economists refer to these activities as the initial steps towards “digital sovereignty”, which entails controlling Africa’s digital economy’s infrastructure, standards and profits.
Beyond help, beyond dependence
Philanthropy and foreign investment have their purposes. Many programmes have helped to improve people’s lives and empower communities. The key question is not whether Africa should integrate with global technology, but how. A meaningful collaboration requires co-creation, shared responsibility and unambiguous accountability.
The issue is to ensure Africa benefits from the next resource revolution. The continent’s youth are technologically adept, globally connected and ambitious, which could be its greatest strength.
Young Africans are transforming reliance into agency by demanding a say in policymaking, controlling infrastructure and governing AI.
Throughout most of modern history, Africa has been considered as a charity case, a market, or a mission area. However, it is the world’s fastest-growing region, full with ingenuity and unexplored potential.
The true story isn’t about a continent waiting for assistance; it’s about one that is ready to lead if it can navigate the flow of global wealth and digital power.
Digital donation can assist to spark change, but it must support Africa’s goals rather than reproduce colonial practices of control. The last unconquered market is a future we can all work towards, not a region to dominate.
