Who will control Africa’s AI infrastructure, and at what cost? | Technology News
Who will control Africa’s AI infrastructure, and at what cost? | Technology News
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/26/who-will-control-africas-ai-infrastructure-and-at-what-cost
Publish Date: 2026-06-25 20:54:00
Source Domain: www.aljazeera.com
- African Union ministers gathered in Tangier to discuss AI development amidst a race among African countries to create AI strategies and expand digital infrastructure.
- A central question involves the control African countries will have over the infrastructure needed for AI technologies as foreign tech companies invest in Africa.
- There is a shift in focus from solely adopting AI to considering ownership, governance, and terms of AI system development and deployment.
- Several African nations, including Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Ghana, have developed national AI strategies to build local capacity and reduce reliance on foreign tech providers.
- The global competition for AI intensifies, which could provide African countries with more negotiating leverage due to the fragmented nature of the global AI industry.
- Africa is currently underrepresented in the global digital economy’s physical backbone, with less than 1% of global data centre capacity despite housing about 18% of the world’s population.
- The debate extends to data governance, digital sovereignty, and the socio-economic impacts of foreign investments in AI infrastructure, including data centre projects in Kenya.
- Despite increased investment, the AI governance discussion largely remains among policymakers, regulators, and tech companies, with less involvement from everyday citizens.
- The critical question for African policymakers is determining the terms of AI use, which will significantly influence control over important technologies shaping economies and public services.
