Emerging technology policies and democracy in Africa: South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia in focus

Executive summary

Africa is increasingly asserting its participation in the advancement of emerging technologies by engaging in active dialogues and devising roadmaps for the development, deployment, and regulation of these technologies. However, strategies to employ emerging technologies vary widely both in levels of progress as well as regulatory mechanisms. This report explores how five African countries—South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia—are strategically navigating the governance of new technologies to enrich their citizens’ lives while mitigating potential risks. It focuses on three key emerging technology domains, namely: connectivity, digital public infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Beginning with an analysis of the foundational digital technology policies around data protection and governance and cybersecurity, the country reviews highlight the current landscape of laws, and strategies governing each of the emerging technologies of interest. By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of each country’s policy landscape across these technology domains, the report offers insights into prospects and challenges in harnessing emerging technologies for societal good.

The report finds that governments are generally optimistic about the potential impact of emerging technologies on economic development in their respective countries. This is reflected in the large public investment in technology infrastructure, promotion of innovative ecosystems, and the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into e-governance and e-services toward a holistic digitalized economy and society. The countries’ multistakeholder approaches highlight the need for responsible governance while promoting active private-sector engagement for the public good.

Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana were found to have comparatively robust policies for each emerging technology examined, or at least—as is the case with Kenya—documentation or drafts in the form of gazettes and public consultation documents. Government efforts are more prominent in the AI domain, given the increased attention it has garnered lately. However, these frameworks are hampered by limited implementation capacities, poor infrastructure, policy fragmentation and overlap, low digital literacy levels, and a growing digital divide. Zambia on the other hand, while having strong aspirations to become an ICT-enabled knowledge economy, lacks dedicated policies pertaining to emerging technologies. Although the country’s data-protection laws, intellectual property, cyber security, and consumer protection provide a foundational framework, more updated regulations are required to keep pace with the speed at which emerging technologies are playing an increasingly pivotal role in citizens’ daily lives.

A SWOT (i.e., strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the broader digital-technologies sector across these countries reveals some universal themes. Strengthwise, governments are generally proactive and enthusiastic about engaging new technology issues, and ICT authorities tend to adapt quickly to new developments by publishing subsidiary laws, releasing draft statements, or convening multistakeholder workshops, where national policy frameworks are absent. An overarching rather than specific sectoral or technology-domain approach also drives national technology pursuits, where for example, all the five countries examined have a national ICT/digital economy strategy which predates and already makes foundational provisions for emerging technology policies. Policy-formulation processes were driven by stakeholder engagement and public consultations, as seen in regular calls for contributions and multistakeholder convenings leading up to policy enactment. Yet huge disparities were observed within countries, where rural and marginalized urban communities, as well as women, are left behind by governmental technology ambitions. This calls for updated policy frameworks and strategies that emphasize inclusion and other sociopolitical considerations to avoid deepening inequities.

For Africa to leverage emerging technologies for socioeconomic development while maintaining accountable and transparent systems, legislative frameworks must be streamlined alongside strong institutional integration to ensure effective enforcement. It is imperative that policymakers develop a strong understanding of emerging technologies to enhance their capacities for developing comprehensive policies to address them. Equally important is raising public awareness to protect the African people’s digital rights and foster safe digital environments.

Ayantola Alayande is a Researcher at the Global Center on AI Governance. There, Ayantola works on the African Union Continental AI Strategy and the African Observatory on Responsible AI. He is also a researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, where he focuses on industrial policy and the future of work in the public sector.

Samuel Segun, PhD is a Senior Researcher at the Global Center on AI Governance. He is also an AI Innovation & Technology consultant for the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), where he works on the project ‘Toolkit for Responsible AI Innovation in Law Enforcement’.

Leah Junck, PhD is a Senior Researcher at the Global Center on AI Governance. Her work explores human-technology experiences. She is the author of Cultivating Suspicion: An Ethnography and Like a Bridge Over Trouble: An Ethnography on Strategies of Bodily Navigation of Male Refugees in Cape Town.

The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) has operationalized the study of disinformation by exposing falsehoods and fake news, documenting human rights abuses, and building digital resilience worldwide.

Image: Young people browse the internet in Lagos, Nigeria, July 26, 2018. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye.