Africa's voice cannot be ignored when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI); this is an advice from South Africa, the continent's largest economy, to its peers.
South Africa is working on an AI policy that is supposed to solve challenges such as uneven access to technology, education, and infrastructure while also promoting technological harmony within Africa, and around the world.
Dumisani Sondlo, acting director of information society evaluation and effect assessment at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), cautioned the continent in his opening keynote speech at this year's ITWeb AI Summit 2025 on Thursday in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
Sondlo highlighted that the South African AI policy is still in the draft stage (based on stakeholder input) and will be evaluated by parliament in April of this year.
Nonetheless, he believes Africa should play an active role in the development of AI technology.
“If you don’t work out how to govern AI today, you are then playing by other people’s rules. Africa’s voice cannot be ignored when it comes to AI,” Sondlo said.
Sondlo went on to say that his country's AI policy is similar to those of many other countries, such as Rwanda, Egypt, and Ethiopia, as well as the African Union's AI plan.
He underlined that AI presents challenges and opportunities, such as regulatory battles to keep up with innovations in technology, social demand, equity in society, sustainable development, the digital gap, historical imbalances, and global leadership.
Regarding the process of framing South Africa's AI strategy, he stated: “We have the contribution of all stakeholders and the public… we are not going to have politicians dictate how things need to be done. So, we’ve brought questions directly to stakeholders.
“This is based on a policy making cycle. So rather than taking pot shots at government, we’d rather have people contest ideas.”
He continued: “The intention is to foster economic growth and societal improvements while addressing historical inequalities and reform regulatory frameworks to align with global standards.”
Furthermore, Sondlo pointed out that South Africa's AI policy framework rests on numerous strategic pillars, including professional responsibility, the promotion of cultural and human values, safety and security, and human control over technology.
“We’ve adopted a human-centric approach in AI systems,” he said.
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