- 2026 – 2030
- Dr. Dennis Redeker
Duration: 2026–2030
Project Lead: Dr. Dennis Redeker
Funded by: Volkswagen Foundation
“Fostering Digital Pan-Africanism in AI Governance through Evidence and Action” (AI PAN-AFRICANISM) is a four-year, transdisciplinary research project that aims to rethink the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa. While AI increasingly influences areas such as access to information, health, and digital public services, global rules are mostly determined by the U.S., the EU, and China. African countries often have little influence in this regard.
The project is developing a pan-African approach to AI governance that incorporates African values, protects human rights, and counters digital colonialism. It is based on the concepts of digital sovereignty, digital constitutionalism, and the vision of Pan-Africanism. Key questions include: How can Africa collectively shape its own AI rules? What rights and principles should guide AI systems? To this end, the team is conducting surveys in ten African countries, analyzing hundreds of AI-focused policy documents, and organizing workshops with civil society groups.
A key focus is on collaborating with stakeholders from various sectors to help shape AI governance at the pan-African level. The project is being carried out in a transdisciplinary manner in collaboration with three civil society partners: the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya, is an affiliated academic partner. AI PAN-AFRICANISM combines research and activism to amplify African voices in global tech debates and promote human rights-based, equitable AI governance for the continent.