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

Executive summary

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

Starting with an analysis of fundamental digital technology policies concerning data protection and governance and cybersecurity, the country’s examinations highlight the current landscape of laws and strategies governing each of the emerging technologies of interest. By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the political landscape of each country in these technological fields, the report offers an overview of the perspectives and challenges in the organization of emerging technologies for a societal property.

The report notes that governments are generally optimistic about the potential impact of emerging technologies on economic development in their respective countries. This is reflected in significant public investment in technological infrastructure, the promotion of innovative ecosystems and the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in electronic governance and electronic services to an economy and a holistic digitized company. The approaches of several holders of the countries highlight the need for responsible governance while promoting the active commitment of the private sector for the public good.

Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana have had relatively robust policies for each emerging technology examined, or at least – as is the case with Kenya – Documentation or draft in the form of gazettes and public consultation documents. Government’s efforts are greater in the AI ​​field, given the increased attention it has recently attracted. However, these executives are hampered by limited implementation capacities, mediocre infrastructure, fragmentation and overlapping of policies, low levels of digital literacy and an increasing digital fracture. Zambia, on the other hand, while having strong aspirations to become an economy of knowledge in ICT, lack of dedicated policies relating to emerging technologies. Although the country’s data protection laws, intellectual property, cybersecurity and consumer protection provide a fundamental framework, more updated regulations are necessary to monitor the rate of speed at which emerging technologies play an increasingly essential role in the daily life of citizens.

A SWOT analysis (that is to say the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of the broader sector of digital technologies in these countries reveals certain universal themes. Forcewsiws, governments are generally proactive and enthusiastic about the idea of ​​mobilizing new technological questions, and ICT authorities tend to adapt quickly to new developments by publishing subsidiary laws, by publishing declarations or by convening multiplaquent workshops, where national political frameworks are absent. A sectoral or technological or technological or specific approach also stimulates national technological activities, where, for example, the five countries examined have a national ICT / digital economy strategy that precedes and already takes fundamental arrangements for emerging technological policies. The policy formulation processes have been motivated by the commitment of stakeholders and public consultations, as shown in regular calls for multiplied contributions and convictions that have led to the promulgation of policies. However, enormous disparities have been observed in countries, where rural and marginalized urban communities, as well as women, are left by government technological ambitions. This requires updated political frameworks and strategies that emphasize inclusion and other socio -political considerations to avoid deepening inequalities.

For Africa to take advantage of emerging technologies for socio -economic development while maintaining responsible and transparent systems, legislative frameworks must be rationalized in parallel with strong institutional integration to guarantee an effective application. It is imperative that decision -makers develop a solid understanding of emerging technologies in order to improve their capacities for developing complete policies to remedy it. It is equally important to raise public awareness to protect the digital rights of the African people and promote safe digital environments.

Having Alayande is a researcher to the Global Center on IA Governance. There, having operated on the strategy of the continental AI of the African Union 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 SegunPHD is principal researcher at the World Center on AI Governance. He is also an IA innovation and technology consultant for the Interregional Institute for Research on the Crime and Justice of the United Nations (UNICRI), where he works on the “Toolkit for innovation responsible for AI in law enforcement”.

Leah JunckPHD is principal researcher at the World Center on AI Governance. His work explores human technology experiences. She is the author of Cultivating Suspion: An Ethnography and Like a Bridge over Disorder: an ethnography on the body navigation strategies of male refugees in CAP.

The Atlantic Council Digital medical-legal research laboratory (DFRLAB) operationalized the study of disinformation by exhibiting lies and false news, by documenting human rights violations and strengthening digital resilience worldwide.

Image: Young people travel Internet in Lagos, Nigeria, July 26, 2018. Reuters / Akintunde Akinleye.