Expert: With AI Revolution, Africa’s 1.4bn People Cannot Be Sidelined

Stories by Emma Okonji

Managing Director of Alpha-Geek Technologies and a recognised figure in African technology, Oluwaseun Dania, last week at the United Nations General Assembly meeting that discussed the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in New York, delivered a strong message to Africa and indeed the world.

He insisted that Africa’s voice, representing 1.4 billion people and the world’s youngest workforce, must be amplified and included in global AI governance.

Speaking as a bridge-builder between innovation and equity, Dania asserted that the success of the AI revolution should be measured not merely by GDP spikes but by lives uplifted, stressing that Africa is not just an early adopter of mobile-first AI but is poised to be a co-creator of its future.

 “In a world where AI is reshaping destinies, this dialogue must ensure no continent or community is left behind,” Dania told the high-level multi-stakeholder meeting, acknowledging AI’s transformative promise in Africa and citing its potential for leapfrogging infrastructure gaps and powering secure digital economies, including burgeoning fintech revolutions and stablecoin initiatives.

However, drawing on his expertise in information security, he warned of AI’s shadows, including deepfakes eroding trust, biased algorithms perpetuating inequality, and unchecked data monopolies widening the North-South divide.

To counter these risks and harness the potential, the current government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy of Nigeria, Bosun Tijani,  launched the National AI Strategy in April 2025, a collaborative blueprint with the Nigerian Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) and National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) to harness AI for economic growth, ethical innovation.