When Thompson Gyedu Kwarkye published his study “We know what we are doing: the politics and trends in artificial intelligence policies in Africa” in the Canadian Journal of African Studies, he entered a debate that rarely reaches public conversation. The research examines how Rwanda and Ghana are building artificial intelligence governance systems that reflect their political histories, economic ambitions and social priorities.
The findings arrive at a moment when Silicon Valley, Beijing and Brussels dominate discussions about AI. Yet Thompson’s work redirects attention to Africa, where governments are quietly negotiating the future of AI against a backdrop of global power, donor influence and contested digital sovereignty. The study also challenges the assumption that African countries are passive adopters of AI governance. Instead, it reveals deliberate political choices that shape how AI regulation and innovation unfold across the continent.
At the centre of this debate sits a provocative question that framed Thompson’s research. Do African countries truly understand their role in AI governance? His answer, based on qualitative evidence from policymakers and stakeholders, suggests that they do. But he also illustrates that knowing what to do does not guarantee that countries can escape the gravitational pull of global technology powers.
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