African Leaders Push Data Sovereignty as Key to Economic Security

African policymakers and technology leaders are calling for a bold shift toward data sovereignty and locally driven digital systems, positioning them as critical to economic security and continental integration.

The call emerged during the 58th Session of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of Ministers, where leaders stressed that Africa must transition from being a consumer of global technologies to becoming a creator and owner of its digital infrastructure.

At a high-level roundtable on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), participants described DPI as the backbone of Africa’s digital transformation but argued that the continent must now go further, toward building its own “intelligence layer.” This includes investing in local talent to process data, develop computing capacity, and train artificial intelligence (AI) models tailored to African realities.

Mozambique’s Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation, Américo Muchanga, underscored the urgency, comparing DPI to electricity in its importance to modern life. He emphasized the need for countries to define clear strategies on data ownership, ensuring that sensitive national data remains within sovereign control.

Echoing this, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Planning and Investment, Pius Stephen Chaya, highlighted the importance of strong public-private partnerships, backed by cybersecurity and data protection laws, to safeguard national interests while enabling innovation.

Leaders also acknowledged a long-standing gap between policy ambition and implementation. Botswana’s Vice President and Finance Minister, Ndaba Gaolathe, called for a shift toward what he termed “mega execution,” urging governments to remove legislative barriers and focus on delivering tangible digital services to citizens. Botswana, he noted, is already leveraging a telecom levy to expand connectivity to underserved schools and communities.

A key issue raised during the discussions was Africa’s limited data infrastructure. Adil el Youssefi, CEO of Africa Data Centres, warned that the continent must significantly expand its data center capacity to support AI development. Despite housing nearly 20 percent of the world’s population, Africa currently generates less than 1 percent of global data.

To address this, leaders proposed the development of “AI factories” and sovereign cloud systems capable of storing and processing data locally. They also highlighted innovative concepts such as “data embassies,” which would allow countries to share infrastructure while retaining control over their data.

Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, stressed that Africa must move away from copying external digital models and instead build systems rooted in local languages and contexts. He warned that failure to do so risks perpetuating dependency and limiting the continent’s digital potential.

At the same time, concerns over digital inclusion remain pressing. Industry representatives noted that nearly one billion Africans are still offline despite network coverage, calling for reduced costs on mobile devices to expand access.

Closing the session, ECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete emphasized the need to measure the economic impact of digital transformation. Without reliable data, he warned, governments cannot fully harness or monetize the benefits of technology.

Leaders concluded with a call to translate the African Union’s AI strategy into concrete national policies, backed by dedicated funding.