By Lillian Nalwoga |
The India AI Impact Summit, held on February 16-21, 2026, was themed “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” (Welfare for all, Happiness for all). It was expected to be a platform for South-to-South cooperation. However, despite Africa’s growing AI ambitions and strategic participation in preparatory working groups, the summit exposed a stark representation gap, raising concerns about Africa’s ability to influence the future of global AI governance.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity for Africa, with projections indicating it could contribute up to USD 1 trillion to the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. This significant potential underscores Africa’s growing ambition to harness AI for inclusive growth while positioning itself as a key player in global AI governance.
Many African countries are engaging with AI proactively, seeking to harness its benefits across various sectors. Countries such as Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt have demonstrated strategic foresight in their AI initiatives. Rwanda, for instance, co-chaired the human-capital working group at the Summit, in line with its national AI strategy to become a global hub for AI research and innovation. Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, is focused on utilising AI for inclusive growth, while Kenya and Egypt are contributing to broader debates on AI ethics and digital infrastructure.
The African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, adopted in July 2024, further solidifies this commitment. The strategy emphasises an Africa-centric, development-focused approach to AI, promoting ethical, responsible, and equitable practices. Key pillars of this strategy include data sovereignty, ethical frameworks, and inclusive governance.
Across the continent, initiatives are emerging, such as South Africa’s establishment of AI institutes and Ghana’s investments in AI for agriculture and healthcare projects. These efforts highlight a continent actively pursuing AI integration to address its unique challenges and opportunities.
Despite the summit’s promise of inclusivity and South-to-South cooperation, African voices were largely absent from high-level sessions and critical decision-making forums. Only two African heads of state, from Mauritius and Seychelles, and ministers from Rwanda, Kenya, Egypt and Togo, attended the global summit. This limited presence stood in stark contrast to the dominant participation of tech giants and diplomatic delegations from the Global North, undermining the summit’s stated goal of elevating Global South perspectives.
Despite strong enthusiasm from leading African AI startups, who showcased their innovative solutions, the lukewarm African endorsement of the summit’s Impact Document exposed a clear disconnect. Only 11 African countries out of the 92 countries that attended endorsed the declaration that calls for “international cooperation and multistakeholder engagement.” This limited endorsement suggests either inadequate consultation with African stakeholders or a mismatch between the summit agenda and Africa’s priorities.
Notably, African civil society voices, academic experts, and private-sector leaders – those most intimately familiar with the continent’s challenges and opportunities – were largely sidelined at an event meant to champion South-South cooperation. Their absence highlights a significant gap between the summit’s stated commitment to inclusivity and the reality of who was heard.
The under-representation of African voices at global digital governance forums like the India AI Impact Summit has significant implications. As AI becomes increasingly central to economic competitiveness and social development, Africa’s marginalisation could impede its ability to fully harness AI’s potential while protecting its citizens’ interests.
African initiatives, such as Nigeria’s push for data sovereignty and Egypt’s integration of AI into sustainable development, deserve a prominent seat at the global table. Without more equitable representation, Africa’s vision for an ethical and inclusive AI future risks being overshadowed by agendas primarily driven by the Global North.
Africa still faces significant AI governance challenges, including incomplete digital policy frameworks, limited financial resources for consistent participation in global policy meetings, and weak coordination among governments, companies, and civil society. However, these constraints should not prevent it from equal representation in global digital governance forums.
These participation challenges are not unique to Africa: members of the Global South Alliance have similarly called for more meaningful and diverse engagement in global digital governance, in their letter to the India AI Summit Organising Committee. Initiatives such as the Multistakeholder Approach to Participation to AI Governance have also stressed the need to ensure that global AI conversations are informed by the “voices and experiences of those who are most impacted by the development and diffusion of AI.”
Africa has enormous AI potential, a clear strategic vision, and growing initiatives to harness AI for sustainable development. The representation gap evident at the India AI Summit highlights the urgent need to ensure that voices from the Global South, including Africa, are not only heard but are influential in shaping global AI governance.
Strengthening the capacity of national regulators and policymakers to craft progressive AI policies and engage effectively in global AI negotiations is essential. Leveraging continental frameworks such as the African Union AI Strategy can help shape common negotiating positions. At the same time, empowering civil society to provide evidence-based, rights-respecting input to national and global AI frameworks will help ensure more citizen-centered policymaking and more equitable participation in national, regional, and international policy processes. As the world prepares for the upcoming UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July and the Global AI Summit 2027 in Geneva, the first annual report of the 40-member UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that is due in July 2026 will be a crucial test of whether African priorities can be adequately reflected in global AI governance processes.
