Stakeholders demand stricter AI laws to secure Africa’s data

Stakeholders have urged African governments to implement stronger regulations on Artificial Intelligence to safeguard the continent’s data sovereignty.

They highlighted the risk of losing control over Africa’s data to foreign companies, warning that citizens’ data could be exploited without proper consent, potentially violating privacy rights and local laws.

These concerns were raised at the Nigeria Fintech Week in Lagos on Thursday, where experts stressed the need for robust AI governance across the continent.

Speaking during a panel session, the Managing Director of Simmons Cooper Partners, Ikem Isiekwena, warned of an “intelligence trap”, wherein AI models, primarily trained on data from the global north, could leave Africa reliant on foreign technologies that fail to address the continent’s specific needs.
“AI models are largely trained on data from the global north, making African contexts and narratives underrepresented. When our stories and contexts are missing from the data driving AI, we risk facing a new form of colonialism—one where foreign data shapes outcomes in Africa,” he cautioned.

According to Isiekwena, this “intelligence trap” poses a significant threat to Africa’s sovereignty, as the continent becomes a passive consumer of foreign AI technologies. Without sufficient local data to influence these models, Africa could be left with tools and systems that fail to address its unique needs, he argued.

On the regulatory front, Isiekwena pointed out the fragmentation across African countries in terms of legal frameworks.
He noted that countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa follow common law systems, while Francophone countries adhere to civil law systems.

Those differences, he stated, create challenges in establishing a unified regulatory framework for AI across the continent.

The Director of Bola Adesina Consulting, Bola Adesina, stated that Africa’s regulatory framework was lagging behind the rapid advancements in AI, urging the continent to establish “legacy regulations” to avoid falling further behind.

While acknowledging AI’s opportunities, she stressed the importance of creating solid legal and ethical frameworks to govern the technology.
“AI is not entirely new—it’s been around for decades. But what we are seeing today is a leap in user interface advancements, particularly driven by platforms like OpenAI, that make the technology more accessible and applicable. What we would have seen in the next 10 years is happening now,” Adesina said.

However, she cautioned that Africa’s slow pace in ratifying AI-related policies could hinder its ability to fully harness the benefits of AI.

Adesina referenced the Malabo Convention, an African Union initiative on data protection that took more than seven years to ratify, as a case study of the continent’s regulatory delays.
“This slow pace cannot be repeated if we want to stay competitive. AI does not recognize borders, and without strong protections in place, we risk falling behind,” she warned.

The Director of Maycode, Adeboye Adetoyese, also urged African governments to strengthen AI-related policies, particularly in the areas of data protection, ethics, and human rights.

“Africa has the potential to leverage AI for significant economic and social gains, but only if we have robust policies in place,” he said.

He noted that while AI was often perceived as a new technology, built on concepts that had been around for decades.

According to Adetoyese, the rapid evolution of AI in recent years, largely driven by advancements in user interfaces, has brought challenges that many African governments are ill-prepared to address.

The African Union recently approved the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy, aiming to facilitate the adoption of AI in both public and private sectors across member states, including Nigeria.

The strategy, published on the AU website on August 9, seeks to harness the transformative power of AI to drive economic, social, and geopolitical change in Africa.
It was adopted during the AU Executive Council’s 45th Ordinary Session in Accra, Ghana, on July 18-19, and endorsed by African ICT and Communications Ministers in June.