This year has been dubbed the “Year of Democracy”, with at least 40 national elections to be held globally, more than 20 of those in Africa.
I am struck by the potential of online spaces for Africans. Almost 400-million Africans, mostly youth, use the internet for business, entertainment, social campaigns, news access and dissemination, and more. States are providing services through online platforms, working to ease access to social resources.
Technology has featured in elections and will feature more prominently in elections this year around the world. During the elections last year, for the first time, Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission took on a huge flagship endeavour of publishing poll results in real time through an online portal.
In Kenya, during the 2022 elections, the government services portal which hosts many Kenyans’ private data, E-Citizen, was apparently hacked, raising key questions about data protection. As more governments embrace tech-enabled elections, Africans online require robust digital protections.
In 2023 I attended an event on the sidelines of the 60th commemoration of the AU's formation. The conversation was aptly titled “Digitalisation and Democracy: Is the African Union ready?” — I spoke about how African civil society has embraced online platforms for their work in advancing civil liberties and mobilising for change in different sectors. In the same breath, I cautioned against the use of online surveillance in curtailing freedom of expression when activists and journalists are targeted by powerful actors.
The role of technology in democracy, as an enabler or as a detractor, remains an important topic in Africa and beyond.
Much like the advent of other technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) is cementing its place in daily life for many Africans, including in the fields of health and agriculture. African journalists are keen on the possibilities that AI presents for their field.
While considering the seemingly endless prospects of AI, I looked back to the advent of social media in Africa to try to imagine how Africans could position themselves to benefit from these developments.
Representation in the conversations about policymaking and regulations for better governance of these technologies is critical. Africans’ views in AI and tech [must be included] so ethics and inclusivity are built into the platforms from the outset
Above and beyond the voter misinformation campaigns, multiple tech companies are being sued by African workers for misappropriating their time and resources, for underpaying them in comparison to global standards and depriving them of conducive work environments — going against the goals of global governance, technology and development.
There has been some representation for Africans in the space. Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy Bosun Tijani spoke at the 2023 AI Summit and sought partnerships in “three core areas of tech as part of its agenda at the 78th UN General Assembly”.
While Tijani was the only African minister to speak at the summit, there are other change-makers in government and across sectors, academics and leaders such as Philip Thigo, a member of the UN advisory board on AI, and others who made it to Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in AI list.
It is encouraging to see these few Africans who are charting a path forward in these spaces.
Africans, having felt some of the harshest harms of social media, can make important contributions towards the creation of ethical AI platforms and tools and can provide insights.
Representation in the conversations about policymaking and regulations for better governance of these technologies is critical. It’s time to invest in research into Africa’s AI opportunities, support African AI thinkers, civil society and build spaces that include and centre Africans’ views in AI and tech so ethics and inclusivity are built into the platforms from the outset.
The research behind the trends will directly influence how the continent will move in this space in the next decade. To adequately capture the benefits of AI and new technologies, we need to ensure ethics, governance and safety are baked in from the start and not bolted on later or not at all, as we have with social media.
Technology deployed ethically can advance participation, especially of underrepresented groups such as youth and women and improve democratic processes and outcomes. I’m convinced about the aptness of Luminate’s work in Africa that has supported the use of technology for democracy, including through support for civil society organisations who have been working on these issues for years, to ensure these technologies put humans and human rights and society ahead of profit.
Through their work they promote a safer internet for all, advocate the protection of civil and press freedoms and human rights to be protected. Luminate’s partners such as Article 19, Paradigm Initiative, Open Cities Lab and Alt Advisory are working to ensure our information ecosystems are healthy enough for people to safely access and share accurate information and participate in civic processes.
Their work with others ensure the people are aware of their rights as they engage in this increasingly digital world.
These efforts are scalable, and replicable, with the right support and investment.
The global conversation about AI governance should tap into the innovative work and thinking of these and other African thought leaders with the goal of providing technological solutions and processes that enhance the daily lives of Africans. These conversations and processes should ultimately ensure technology enriches, not harms the civic space in Africa.
• Toyin Akinniyi is vice-president, Africa, at Luminate
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