As the Group of 20 (G20) Summit 2025 comes underway in Johannesburg, South Africa, technological innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is among the topics and platforms being discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI), the role of robotics, coding, virtual reality (VR) and digital infrastructure will be on the agenda. South Africa acting as the international bloc’s chair and the African Union (AU) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Yousef who will be representing the continent’s regional bloc as the G20’s newest member, will have to press forward with arguing African nations’ position to developing their economies to adapt to the latest trend in technological innovations.
To make this concrete, imagine:
- A South African team using global climate and agricultural data to build AI tools that help smallholder farmers in Limpopo adapt to shifting rainfall patterns.
- A local start-up co-developing affordable medical device with partners in Asia and Latin America, using shared research facilities and open datasets.
- A young woman with a disability in a township accessing online mentorship and research collaborations that would previously have required money, travel, and networks she simply did not have.
The OIPoP (Open Innovation Platform of Platforms) can help make scenarios like these not the exception, but the norm. And it will do this in an equitable way through equal access to technology. Women, people with disabilities, and researchers from developing countries are underrepresented in global science and innovation networks, and it is our sincere hope that an open access network will bring more marginalised people into the fold.
Integration through technological innovation and connectivity is the name of the game. The new integration through access to social media will bring the world closer together. South Africa is quite literally at the heart of this foreground for the integration. Situated at the crossroads at Africa’s southern tip between the Americas and Asia makes South Africa a potential hub of export for both raw minerals, rare earths and manufactured tech products. South Africa and Africa can lead the charge in biotechnology, environmental conservation, the conservation and preservation of biodiversity the progress of bioeconomic sustainability and development for future generations.
The AU commission with the cooperation of member states should setup a multi-stakeholder OIPoP Governing board with seats representing the government of various African nations, civil society, disability and women’s organizations, academia, and private sector; define term limits and quorum rules. A dual-track governance model should be created: a policy board for strategic planning, ethics and funding and technical board with platform standards, security and audit rights. A transparent charter and bylaws before any initial funding is disbursed; include decision rules, conflict-of-interest disclosures, procurement protocols, and audit rights. Independent oversight is required for an annual external audit and a community ombudsperson empowered to receive complaints and publish redress decisions.
The new digital infrastructure can light the path to economic and technological sustainability. It will create opportunities for peace, security and job creation across all levels of society. The new technology being created should be run on renewable energy – solar and wind power. The continent has this in abundance. There can be no turning back the clock depending on what innovation is created. The path being charted should focus on sustainability in terms of the environment and conservation initiatives. The economic factor that is to play a role should be made to be beneficial to ordinary people at the base of society. Tools of innovation through social media should be the main priority. Greater representation in global science and innovation networks can only be achieved through greater access to education and an analysis of the criteria that creates poverty. The focus on inclusivity should also require reward for had work.
Social media is the key to bridging the gap between sustainability and inclusivity.
For the first time, an African country leads the global conversation on artificial intelligence governance. South Africa’s G20 Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, and Innovation for Sustainable Development has established groundwork for Africa’s participation in shaping global AI norms. The AI for Africa Initiative, developed by the African Union in collaboration with South Africa’s presidency, is anchored in the AU’s Continental AI Strategy (2025-2030) and the AU Data Policy Framework. Concrete implementation requires computing infrastructure on African soil, African-language datasets that enable AI systems to understand African contexts, and AI talent development programmes. South Africa can advance technology diplomacy across Africa, positioning the continent as an active shaper of digital sovereignty aligned with Agenda 2063.
- Implement an AU Data Governance Framework for OIPoP covering consent, provenance, licensing, cross‑border transfer rules, and benefit‑sharing; require Local Councils should sign data‑use agreements.
- Use tiered access and privacy‑preserving techniques (differential privacy, federated learning, encrypted enclaves) before any dataset is shared internationally.
- Require community consent protocols and compensation for data collection; register datasets in a public catalogue with provenance metadata and licensing terms.
- Create a Data Protection Compliance Unit within OIPoP to audit datasets, run model impact assessments, and enforce takedown or redress where harms are found.
South Africa and the AU are propelling forward with their plans for an influence on the future of the world of tech. Pretoria and the AU Commission in Addis Ababa will have their seats at the table to debate the role and use of AI, robotics, coding, data governance and Innovation for Sustainable Development. They will have a determining role through international forums such as the G20 to discuss the amount and form of funding for digital infrastructure projects. However, this is a top-down approach that should include civil society and the corporate sector in Africa. The path and future of AI and robotics development will tie in to the development and integration of Africa. Africa will be the root of South Africa’s true prosperity and rise to greatness.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
