Africa’s ability to harness the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI) will depend less on the speed of adoption and more on how effectively the continent governs and shares its data, Government Affairs Director at Microsoft, Akua Gyekye, said.
  
Gyekye noted that while digital public infrastructure is expanding and connectivity is improving across Africa, the real determinant of long-term value lies in data. 
  
“Africa’s digital future will be determined not only by how quickly artificial intelligence spreads, but by how deliberately Africa governs and shares the data that powers it,” she said.
 
She explained that although many African countries are making progress—with about 76 per cent now having data protection and privacy laws—fragmentation remains a major obstacle. Disjointed governance systems, data silos, and restrictive cross-border data policies continue to limit innovation and collaboration across the continent.
  
According to Gyekye, this lack of cohesion risks slowing AI adoption and reducing Africa’s influence over how AI systems are designed and deployed globally. “Without trusted and interoperable data systems, AI cannot scale responsibly across sectors or across borders,” she said.
 
She stressed that beyond privacy and protection, African governments must prioritise data portability, interoperability, and balanced localisation policies. These elements, she argued, are essential to unlocking a robust digital economy and ensuring that African innovators are not excluded from emerging global value chains driven by AI.
  
Gyekye highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its Digital Trade Protocol as critical frameworks for enabling seamless and secure data flows. She noted that the success of AfCFTA—projected to significantly boost intra-African trade—will depend on the ability of data to move efficiently across borders, just like goods and services.
  
“Data flows are becoming as important to trade as the movement of goods and services themselves,” she said, adding that Africa must develop its own governance models tailored to its economic realities rather than adopting external frameworks wholesale.
 
She also pointed to ongoing continental initiatives such as the African Union Data Policy Framework and the African Development Bank’s Africa Information Highway as important building blocks. However, she cautioned that these remain foundational and that a gap still exists between policy ambition and real-world implementation.
 
On data sovereignty, Gyekye called for a modern, balanced approach that protects citizens’ rights while enabling participation in global digital ecosystems. “Digital sovereignty should not be defined by isolation, but by the ability to participate confidently in interoperable, secure, and trusted global systems,” she said.
  
She further emphasised the importance of partnerships, urging that collaborations between governments, private sector players, and research institutions must go beyond market expansion to genuinely support local innovation and ensure fair value distribution.