By Toyin Falola
Those who control the data control the future not just of humanity, but the future of life itself.
Yuval Harari
Who could have convinced our ancestors, not so long ago, that a time would come when a person could speak to their relatives across hundreds of towering mountains and endless seas with nothing but a simple dial on a device called a phone? Who would have dared to make such a bold prophecy without being laughed to scorn or dismissed as a dreamer lost in folly? Yet, here we are—beyond that stage, beyond even the wildest dreams of those who came before us.
Today, we bridge distances with our voices and communicate with machines. We chat meaningfully with chatbots, laugh heartily with artificial companions, and interact with robots as naturally as kinswomen once did around the evening fire. Call it magic, if you will; I call it the boundless expanse of the human minds—the wizardry of the creative depths of humans. The future is not some distant prospect but unfolding before our eyes. The future is technology, and that technology is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Across the vast swath of the world, nations and corporations are negotiating their place in this unfolding reality, rising at dawn like the proverbial early birds our ancestors spoke of. The question, then, is this: Where is Africa in this great scramble? And when the future arrives in full force, where will it find the continent?
I have no prophecy to give. That is the art of those in the pulpit, and I’m not one, nor do I fancy myself as possessing a prophet’s foresight. In this piece, I offer not a prophecy but a prescription—an unvarnished exposition of facts and truth. And the truth is this: Does Africa have a stake in this great scramble for the future? My answer is an emphatic yes. Unlike the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, where our ancestors slumbered while foreign hands redrew their future on a map, we now stand at a different crossroads of another great history. This time, we are not bound to be mere spectators. We have the opportunity—perhaps our last, best chance—to shape and negotiate our collective future on our terms. But will we seize it, or will history repeat itself? It often does for those who fail to learn from it.
The good thing about history is that it teaches us in many ways, sometimes in the most unexpected places. My lesson came not from textbooks but from a simple meme on social media. Many have seen it—an old-school party scene with afro-haired men in bell-bottom pants, dancing joyfully with equally ecstatic women in platform shoes. The real punch, however, is in the caption: “See what my ancestors were doing while other people’s ancestors were gathering generational wealth for their offspring.” It may be nothing more than a joke to a casual meme-lover, but to a keen observer, it carries a sobering message of misplaced priorities or dozing away while others are making the best of the day. And so, I wonder—what will our children say of us? Will they mock our complacency in memes, asking if we were busy reveling while the rest of the world was securing the future? Or will we rewrite the narrative and ensure they inherit a future shaped by foresight and action, not neglect?
This is why I consider any conversation around AI to be not just important but urgent. AI is more than a technological marvel; it is the foundation of an anticipated future. The world is boldly positioning itself for what is to come. Where does Africa stand in this? Will we lead, participate, or simply observe? This piece is an invitation to that conversation—a prelude to a fuller panel discussion on the subject scheduled for March 2, 2025. I have provided complete details of this at the end of this piece.
So, if you have popcorn, grab a handful. Let’s talk about the future—ours, Africa’s, and the role of AI in defining it.
Understanding AI
I consider it necessary to proceed from here by correcting the misconceptions surrounding AI and purging ourselves of the deep-seated sentiments that often cloud our judgment. Too often, when AI is mentioned, what readily comes to mind are chatbots, virtual assistants, deepfake technology, spam bots, and farm bots. These associations are understandable, though. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT have gained notoriety due to their unethical use in academia, where students and professionals alike have exploited them for academic fraud. Deepfakes have been weaponized to spread misinformation and disinformation, influencing public discourse, distorting elections, and manipulating financial markets. Spam bots have flooded digital spaces, inflating influencer metrics for monetary gain by generating fake likes and followers.
These concerns are valid and well-founded for those in academia and the more conservative age bracket. The misuse of AI has, in many ways, fueled skepticism and resistance. However, to focus solely on these negatives is to miss the bigger picture. AI is not just a digital trickster or a tool for online manipulation. We must understand it beyond this narrow filtering of our sentiments. AI in the healthcare system diagnoses diseases, detects tumors in medical scans, designs and aids in drug development, assists in surgeries, and personalizes treatments. In climate science, AI models climate patterns, optimizes energy grids and tracks deforestation. In the legal field, AI reviews contracts and documents, analyzes case laws, and predicts legal outcomes. AI in Finance involves fraud detection, algorithmic trading, and risk assessment. AI generates art, music, writing, and movie scripts in the creative and entertainment fields. In the field of cybersecurity, AI detects and prevents cyber threats. In farming, AI assists in food security through precision farming, crop monitoring, and automated harvesting.
And more importantly, AI has emerged as a key player in geopolitics. Control over AI is now a critical determinant of global power shifts. The integration of AI in modern warfare—through autonomous weapons, surveillance systems, and predictive analytics—has transformed the balance of power among nations. The United States, China, and Russia are already engaged in an AI arms race, with private industries playing a critical role. The ability to dominate AI development is no longer just a matter of technological prestige; it is a strategic advantage that could redefine global security and influence.
To contextualize this reality better, AI is transforming conventional combat strategies and redefining the geopolitical landscape by enabling autonomous and intelligent military systems. From AI-driven data analysis, cyber defense, intelligence gathering, and surveillance to predictive maintenance and logistics, AI has become decisive in military efficiency and decision-making. These applications, while non-violent, contribute to the overall army preparedness and strategic superiority of the country having control over them.
And what more? Beyond these support functions, AI’s integration into weaponry and combat systems has revolutionized warfare. AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cyber weapons, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with advanced navigation capabilities have significantly altered military operations. Modern autonomous systems combine AI with cutting-edge artillery and military equipment, ranging from non-lethal surveillance tools to lethal autonomous weapons capable of executing targeted attacks without human intervention. These weapons operate seamlessly across diverse environments—land, air, sea, and even space—expanding the scope of military dominance of the country controlling them. In this context, we can see that AI has emerged as a significant determinant of global security and power hierarchies. Countries that successfully develop and control AI-driven military technology gain a substantial edge in warfare, deterrence, and defense capabilities. In short, the control of AI has become a central issue in global competition.
In the above-advanced sense, I want us to situate AI in the present discussion. In this sense, AI is said to be transformative and the foundation of this emerging future. Africa must make haste to carve a space for itself before it is hijacked by more foresighted and responsive countries and actors.
AI in Action in Africa: Case Studies
In Africa, AI is not just transforming the technology sector—it is reshaping Africa’s future. AI, as we speak, is already driving innovative solutions to the continent’s most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, revolutionizing key industries such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. Writing for Africa Renewal, Raphael Obonyo documented practical instances of AI in action in Africa. Flood Hub, an AI-powered tool developed at Google’s Africa Research Centre in Ghana, accurately predicted recent floods in South Africa’s Western Cape. Now operational in 23 African countries and beyond, it provides advanced flood warnings, enhancing disaster preparedness across the continent.
AI-powered phone apps are helping smallholder farmers tackle agricultural challenges. Tools like PlantVillage use AI to detect plant diseases early, enabling farmers to combat crop pests and adapt to climate change, strengthening food security. In Nigeria, Aajoh is a mobile app that leverages AI to instantly diagnose users’ health symptoms. It allows users to input their symptoms through text, audio, or photographs, providing quick and accurate health assessments. By replicating and enhancing the traditional doctor-patient interaction in a digital format, Aajoh makes healthcare more accessible. Its long-term vision is to shift healthcare from a reactive model to a predictive one, enabling early detection and proactive management of health conditions.
Similarly, Africa is home to quite a handful of major AI players. Google has AI research centers in Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya. These centers focus on developing AI solutions for Africa and contributing to global AI advancements. There is also the Deep Learning Indaba now. Since it was established in 2017, the Deep Learning Indaba now has chapters in 47 of the 55 African nations and aims to boost AI development across the continent by providing training and resources to African AI researchers
I must also add here that AI’s progress thus far in Africa within its relatively short history is primarily to be thanked for its uniquely hospitable environment. Africa boasts a young and dynamic population with a growing number of well-educated individuals eager to engage with emerging technologies. This demographic advantage is complemented by a rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI startups, innovation hubs, and research institutions, all working to develop and deploy AI-driven solutions tailored to local challenges. Additionally, the increasing penetration of digital technologies and mobile connectivity has created a vast market of tech-savvy consumers ready to adopt AI-powered products and services.
Moreover, governments, private investors, and international organizations recognize AI’s potential and channel resources into its development. For instance, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently announced that Nigeria is discussing establishing a strategic partnership with Google to advance the country’s digital transformation. This collaboration will focus on five essential areas of technological growth and economic development. These are enhancing scalable cloud infrastructure, equipping the workforce with future-ready skills, promoting AI innovation and research, driving cloud adoption, and positioning Nigeria as a global hub for digital transformation
Challenges
While enthusiasm for AI grows and progress grows, it must be noted that Africa is still grappling with significant hurdles in fully adopting and benefiting from AI technologies compared to the Global North. While Africa can reap the full benefit of AI, it can only do so by putting the proper infrastructure in place. The continent currently has one of the broadest digital divides. According to the International Telecommunication Union, only 37% of the African population had internet access in 2023. And lower than that, they had access to mobile broadband in the same year under review. More worrisome is the energy poverty ravaging the continent. From Nigeria to Malawi to (just name it), frequent power outages disrupt data centers and computing infrastructure. Power is critical in building capacity for solutions that will transform people’s lives. Another challenge is the policy gap. Currently, only a handful of African countries have drafted national AI strategies. The rest are still slumbering. There is also the challenge of poor investment in research and development (R&D) on the continent.
Looking into the Future
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here, and a future driven by AI is rapidly unfolding before our very eyes. I have sounded the alarm like a canary in a coal mine since I started this discussion, warning that Africa cannot afford to sleep through this ongoing scramble for AI dominance. As a student of history, I have learned to view the present through the lens of our colonial past. We fought colonialism, and we continue to fight and resist neocolonialism, yet I see another mutation of colonialism looming large on the horizon—data colonialism. This time, control is not seized through military might or economic exploitation but through the monopolization of data.
Like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, I join my voice with that of Professor Yonta to preach: “Whoever controls the data will control the future.” As long as international tech giants and foreign powers monopolize African data, true independence will remain an illusion. The battle for Africa’s future will not be won with slogans but strategy. To secure our place in the AI-driven world, gaining control over our data must be a national, continental, and existential priority. The future belongs to those who own their intelligence—artificial and otherwise.
Please join us for a panel discussion with our distinguished panelists, Dr. Conrad Tucker, Dr. Moses Asom, Dr. Faye Briggs, Dr. Omowunmi Sadik, and Mr. John Kamara, who will be sharing their expertise on “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Africa’s Future.”
Sunday, March 2, 2025
5 PM Nigeria
7 PM Kenya
10 AM Austin
11 AM New Jersey
Register Here:
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