Afrika Techno Policy

The statistics are stark and sobering. According to Fortune, approximately half of all internet traffic now comes from non-human sources . Imperva’s 2024 Bad Bot Report identifies nearly 50% of web activity as originating from bots; 20% of which are explicitly malicious. This is not a technical inconvenience or a cybersecurity concern. It represents nothing less than the undermining of the foundational economic model that has sustained the internet as we know it for the past three decades. We are witnessing the collapse of the ‘attention economy’, the system whereby human attention becomes the primary commodity being harvested, packaged, and sold to advertisers.  The entire edifice of the contemporary internet rests on a simple premise: that clicks, views, and engagement metrics represent genuine human interest and, by extension, purchasing intent. When bot networks can simulate this engagement at scale, they do not create noise in the data. Rather they destabilize the value pro...

Cyril Ramophosa's meeting with Donald Trump provides an opportunity to reflect on what Africans can achieve in this churning global order.  Claims about America’s declining hegemony have become widespread in the 21st century. However, it is notable when the US executive branch repeatedly says it will cease to be a dependable partner in security or commerce. The present administration appears intent on dismantling the international rules-based order, generating significant uncertainty for markets and states alike. No hegemonic power is poised to take over. Although diversification and de-dollarization are occurring to some extent, the dollar’s position as the primary reserve currency remains secure due to strong network effects.  Even so, the world may never be the same again. These are some of the initial conditions for thinking about what Africans can and wish to accomplish in the next decade in international governance. Asserting Africa’s Place in the World To assert their p...

In a major development for global artificial intelligence (AI) governance, the UN-based Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET) has prepared a Zero Draft Resolution on the terms of reference for establishing an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and a Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance. After a round of consultation, the draft will be handed over to the UN General Assembly to action a motion. Independent International Scientific Panel on AI The Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence will provide multidisciplinary, evidence-based scientific assessments of AI’s opportunities, risks, capabilities, and impacts. The panel will consist of: An Expert Committee of 20 members appointed by the UN Secretary-General. An Advisory Committee of 40 members elected by the General Assembly. Both committees will feature experts serving in their personal capacity, with appointments lasting three years (renewa...

As AI sweeps through the private sector, some government agencies wish to eagerly follow suit, deploying chatbots to handle everything from constituent services to policy deliberation. This enthusiasm, while understandable, must be tempered with caution. Despite the proliferation of these AI systems in public administration, there is a critical shortage of both summative and formative evidence regarding their impacts. One of the key questions of our age is how might evolving information technology affect the quality of democracy. Today, that question remains largely unanswered as we rush headlong into AI adoption primarily driven by promises of cost reduction and convenience. But what if cost and convenience, rather than aiding democracy, undermines it instead. There are good reasons to believe that this may be the case. Consider New York City's small business chatbot , which notoriously offered advice on how to circumvent local regulations. Far from an isolated incident, suc...

The quiet revolution in AI isn't just changing how we work and live. It's about to transform how wealth moves around the globe - and not necessarily for the better. As AI systems become autonomous, they threaten to supercharge tax avoidance strategies in ways that could devastate public finances worldwide. Consider a future where AI systems don't just identify tax loopholes, but actively exploit them in real-time, moving capital across jurisdictions faster than regulators can respond. This is the emerging reality of what technologists call "agentic AI" - systems capable of making independent financial decisions without direct human oversight. The implications are acute. Tax havens have traditionally relied on human financial experts laboriously analyzing regulations to find advantageous arrangements. These new AI systems can perform the same analysis continuously across multiple jurisdictions, identifying opportunities for tax arbitrage with unprecedented speed an...

As we enter 2025, the African conversation around Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is at an inflection point. A growing number of African countries are actively developing and implementing DPI projects, such as digital identity systems, e-government platforms, and national broadband networks. The challenges faced by Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practitioners offer valuable lessons for those working to build and maintain digital public goods. Just as IaC aims to automate and standardize technical infrastructure, DPI seeks to create foundational digital systems that serve the public good. However, the path forward requires considering several factors. The Fragmentation Challenge Recent developments in the IaC space, particularly the increased focus on security, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud support efforts, enhanced collaboration and workflow highlight a concern for DPI initiatives. If infrastructure tools become fragmented or restricted, it creates barriers to adoption and implementa...

In the December 2024 recent issue of the African Journal of Information and Communication , Nawal Omar and I  have a study on the IEC's mobile app, and how it handles data privacy and security dimensions. More broadly, while digital tools can enhance voter participation and streamline electoral processes, they must be developed and deployed with utmost attention to security and privacy - the cornerstones of democratic integrity. The trust citizens place in electoral systems extends to the digital tools that support them, making cybersecurity not just a technical requirement but a democratic imperative. These matters will become more acute in the years ahead Here is the title, abstract and other details: South African Electoral Commission’s mobile app for voters: Data privacy and security dimensions Nawal Omar, Scott Timcke In 2014, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (also known as the “IEC”) launched a mobile app to support voter participation in electoral processes. The app...

This week we present an except from the G20 South Africa Presidency Concept Note , focusing on Task Force 3 -  Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, and Innovation for Sustainable Development . This task force is a key component of South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency, which began on 1 December 2024. We trust our readers will find it of much use during 2025, as the task force gathers momentum. Full text: The transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely acknowledged, providing unprecedented economic and social opportunities, accompanied by new policy and regulatory challenges. AI technologies, exemplified by advanced systems like generative, interactive and multimodal AI platforms, have demonstrated their capacity to enhance productivity, foster innovation and analyse large volumes of data to help solve complex problems in many areas of human life. The  capabilities of AI are continually advancing, offering new possibilities, and posing new challenges. T...

As AI foundation models become ubiquitous, the African continent faces a reckoning.  Almost all of the digital technology Africa uses is imported. The anchoring effects of technical codes, standards and specifications act as a kind of shadow regulation that limits how much direct control Africans can have on these systems. Africa cannot afford to be a passive recipient of technologies developed elsewhere, with little consideration for disruptions to local contexts. Instead, a proactive, comprehensive approach to AI safety must emerge, one that is holistic in nature.     A Strategic Imperative for Preserving Self-Determination The traditional approach to tech governance - characterized by reactive regulation (or the lack thereof) - is inadequate. By contrast, an African AI Safety Institute could rise above the narrow confines of technical assessment. Its mandate could extend far beyond simple compliance or risk mitigation to better understanding the ways in which alg...

Public sector tech modernization isn’t simply a matter of swapping old systems for new ones. It’s more like performing heart surgery while the patient is running a marathon. Decades of established processes, intricate regulatory frameworks, and mission-critical systems that each day serve millions of citizens create complexity. Notwithstanding their flaws, these evolved systems keep our public services functioning. Yet there’s a growing chorus of voices who dismiss slow incremental changes to this complexity as mere bureaucratic resistance or institutional laziness; government systems are outdated obstacles to growth, they say. Rip and replace. Embrace innovation. Disrupt. Code around damage. (And government is viewed as damage ). These are the next generation of the ‘ move fast and break things ’ crew. I call these voices ‘digital anti-administrativists’.  The digital anti-administrativism views are sophomoric because they think about products, not final purposes. Bear with me wh...