Academics, policy specialists, and digital governance experts called for Africa-centred AI policies and stronger data sovereignty protections this week at the Lagos Studies Association Conference. The discussions, held across two panel sessions on June 17 and 19, 2026, examined how the continent can develop artificial intelligence that serves local communities rather than extracting value from them.
The sessions were part of the launch for Volume 2 of Living Sustainably Here: African Perspectives on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a multi-volume anthology founded by scholar and sustainability advocate Olatoun Gabi-Williams. Contributors explored the intersection of technology, sustainability, and indigenous knowledge systems.
Data sovereignty and the cost of unchecked AI
Gabi-Williams said African data should not be treated as "free raw material" for foreign entities. She urged governments across the continent to move beyond policy declarations and into practical implementation of data governance frameworks.
"AI must be human-friendly and planet-centred. It must support civilisation and not become an impediment to the advancement of people and the planet," Gabi-Williams said. She raised particular concerns about risks to younger generations, stressing that safeguards and regulations must protect children and vulnerable communities.
She also pointed to growing foreign interest in African languages during the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032). Gabi-Williams argued that African governments must develop African-built and African-owned AI technologies to preserve mother tongues. Without technological sovereignty, she said, local communities lose control over how their languages are documented and deployed in digital spaces.
Indigenous knowledge and the limits of AI
Historian and researcher Pelumi Olatunji warned that artificial intelligence is only as effective as the information it receives. He said preserving indigenous knowledge systems is essential, particularly as younger generations become disconnected from the historical innovations that shaped African societies.
Olatunji advocated using technology to document Africa's cultural, industrial, and intellectual heritage. He also said African governments should take a more active role in regulating technologies and algorithms, drawing comparisons with how other countries tailor digital platforms to reflect national priorities.
The data gap in African languages
Abdulazeez Shomade, a postgraduate scholar at the University of Ibadan's Centre for Sustainable Development, described AI as a tool with potential for climate action, urban planning, and environmental conservation. Technologies such as geographic information systems could help planners preserve ecological buffers and protect communities whose livelihoods depend on agriculture.
But Shomade flagged a persistent problem: limited datasets for African indigenous languages mean many AI-powered translation tools still produce inaccurate interpretations. The gap leaves millions of speakers underserved by the very technologies that claim to bridge communication divides.
Why this matters for IT and development professionals
The calls from Lagos echo a growing demand for AI for IT & Development that respects local contexts rather than imposing external models. For professionals building or procuring AI systems for African markets, the message is clear: governance frameworks, language data, and community consent are not afterthoughts - they are prerequisites. The shortage of indigenous language datasets represents both a technical challenge and a market gap that developers and policy specialists will need to address together. Those shaping digital policy can find structured guidance through an AI Learning Path for Policy Makers that covers the regulatory and ethical dimensions raised at the conference.
Your membership also unlocks:
