By Sonny Iroche
As a participant and delegate at three of the world’s most defining Artificial Intelligence summits, from Doha to Paris and Kigali , I have had the privilege of engaging directly with global policymakers, innovators, and technology leaders shaping the future of AI. Although I was unable to attend the first global AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, my participation at subsequent summits, the Doha AI World Summit (December 2024), the Paris Action AI Summit (February 2025), and the Global AI on Africa Summit (April 2025), provided me with a front-row perspective of how nations are navigating the opportunities and threats that AI presents.
In all of these gatherings, one theme was constant: the world is at an inflection point, and the choices we make now will define the balance of progress, ethics, and power for generations to come. Yet, as the plenary sessions unfolded and the breakout panels debated safety frameworks, generative AI ethics, and global data governance, I could not help but reflect on Africa’s unique position, both as a latecomer and as a sleeping giant in this transformative race.
A Call for the Full Democratization of AI
At each of these summits, I emphasized that AI must be democratized fully, not monopolized by a handful of nations or corporations. Artificial Intelligence should not be the preserve of the technologically advanced, but a shared global asset serving humanity. The big question remains: Does Africa have the financial resources, infrastructure and political will to grab the bull of AI by the horn? True democratization means that a farmer in Ghana, a medical researcher in Kenya, and a start-up founder in Aba and Lagos should have equal access to the tools, compute power, and data infrastructure that drive AI innovation in Silicon Valley or Shenzhen.
In Doha, where the tone was one of optimism and enterprise, I joined fellow delegates in arguing that AI must place humanity at the heart of innovation. This the Qatari did when they unveiled Fanar, the first Arabic Large Language Model (LLM) on the opening day of the summit. That means prioritizing inclusion, fairness, and accountability. The Middle East is rapidly investing in digital infrastructure, and Qatar’s World AI Summit was a showcase of how regional ambition, backed by huge financial resources and smart regulation, can transform societies without compromising on ethics.
However, Africa must not wait for others to build our AI future for us. We must tell our own story. The same creativity that built Africa’s fintech revolution can build an AI revolution rooted in our realities, agriculture, health, education, security, and governance.
Paris: From Principles to Action
At the Paris Action AI Summit held at the Grand Palais in February 2025, I participated in several plenary and breakout sessions that brought together over 1,000 delegates, including President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and global AI CEOs. The French and Indian governments co-chaired discussions centered on “Action on AI for People and Planet.”
While many global powers debated regulations and data-sharing, my submission was clear: AI must become a tool of equity, not exclusion. Africa cannot continue to be a testing ground for technologies designed elsewhere, with inherent biases, particularly in data. The continent must participate in the design, governance, and ethical deployment of these systems.
The Paris Summit also highlighted a critical tension between nations prioritizing innovation and those pushing for regulation. Europe’s approach through the AI Act seeks to ensure transparency and accountability, while the United States, still driven largely by the private sector, champions open and competitive innovation. China’s model remains state-driven and data-centric. Amid this triangular competition, I stressed that Africa must chart a fourth way, one that centers human development, inclusion, and ethical AI aligned with African values.
Kigali: Africa’s Moment of Awakening
The Global AI on Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, held in April 2025, was perhaps the most significant gathering for our continent in recent memory. Over 49 African countries, heads of state, ministers, and youth innovators convened under the theme, “AI and Africa’s Demographic Dividend.”
As a delegate and speaker in both plenary and breakout sessions, I witnessed an inspiring consensus emerge: Africa’s strength lies not in its natural resources, but in its human capital. With over 70 percent of our population under 30, and a projected population of 3 billion by 2030, the question before us is how to harness this youthful energy for sustainable growth.
My contribution in Kigali centered on the urgent need to wean Africa off dependency on foreign aid. Our future cannot continue to be dictated by donors or development agencies. AI offers us the tools to solve our problems ourselves, from optimizing agricultural yields to detecting fraud, tracking public spending, insecurity, human trafficking, improving census accuracy, and enhancing public service delivery.
Corruption, inefficiency, and poor data remain Africa’s greatest obstacles to development. But AI can be an antidote, through predictive analytics in governance, AI-enabled audit trails, and digital identity systems that make every transaction traceable. When combined with political will and ethical leadership, AI can help restore transparency, efficiency, and public trust.
Bridging the Global AI Divide
Across the three summits, one undeniable truth became clear: there remains a widening gap between the Global North and Global South in AI readiness and adoption. The North commands over 95 percent of global computing capacity and most of the AI patents and venture funding. Meanwhile, much of the Global South, Africa included, lacks the data centers, research infrastructure, and policy frameworks to compete.
However, the narrative that Africa is technologically behind is not entirely true. Africa’s youth are digital natives. From Lagos to Nairobi, Cape Town to Kigali, young Africans are building start-ups, training AI models, and applying technology to solve local problems. What they lack is not intellect, but investment; not creativity, but opportunity.
During the discussions in Paris and Kigali, I called on global leaders to create an inclusive AI ecosystem, one that transfers knowledge and technology fairly. Collaboration should not be charity; it should be partnership. Africa’s voice must not only be heard but respected in shaping global AI norms.
AI and the Future of Africa’s Development
The continent faces a daunting challenge: to feed, house, and provide healthcare, jobs, and education to nearly three billion people by 2030. This is not a task that traditional policy tools alone can accomplish. AI can help Africa leapfrog its developmental bottlenecks, from smart agriculture that boosts food security, to AI-driven healthcare diagnostics in rural communities, and predictive modeling for urban planning and infrastructure.
AI can also revolutionize education, delivering personalized learning in local languages, and support national statistics offices in conducting more accurate censuses and elections, reducing manipulation and waste.
But technology alone is not the answer. Ethical leadership, inclusive governance, and political stability must accompany AI’s deployment. Without these, AI could amplify inequality rather than reduce it.
Towards an African AI Vision
As one who has worked closely with policymakers and corporate leaders across Africa, and as a member of both the UNESCO Technical Working Group on AI Readiness and Nigeria’s National AI Strategy Committee, I believe the time has come for Africa to articulate its own AI vision.
That vision must recognize that AI is not merely a technological revolution, but a governance and cultural transformation. Africa’s approach should be value-driven, grounded in our shared humanity, ethics, and social justice. We must train our youth, invest in AI education, create African data centers, and insist on data sovereignty.
If properly harnessed, AI can become the equalizer that lifts Africa’s billions into prosperity. But if we stand idle, the same technology could widen the gulf between us and the rest of the world.
In a nutshell, the various AI summits in Doha, Paris, and Kigali reinforced one truth for me: the democratization of AI is both a moral imperative and an economic necessity. Africa cannot afford to be a passive observer in the global technological race.
Our destiny will be determined not by how fast others advance, but by how boldly we innovate, regulate, and collaborate. The time for Africa to tell its own story, in its own voice, with its own data, and through its own intelligence, is now.
AI offers Africa a second independence, a digital emancipation that can redefine our place in the world. But only if we seize it.
Note: Sonny Iroche is the CEO of GenAI Learning Concepts Ltd, Chairman of Strategic Alliance Promotion Company, a member of Nigeria’s National AI Strategy Committee, a member of UNESCO’s Technical Working Group on AI Readiness Assessment Methodology, and a Postgraduate Scholar in Artificial Intelligence for Business at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
