Decolonizing the governance of artificial intelligence in Africa: from normative mimicry to epistemic sovereignty

Abstract This article examines the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa through a decolonial analytical lens that foregrounds the coloniality of power, knowledge, and technology. It argues that emerging national and regional frameworks reproduce structural hierarchies established during colonial rule by translating external governance models into African contexts with limited adaptation to local epistemologies and legal traditions. Through an analysis of the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy and national initiatives in Morocco and Nigeria, the article demonstrates how regulatory mimicry and external dependency constrain Africa’s policy autonomy, while reinforcing epistemic subordination under the guise of digital sovereignty. The study advances a decolonial model of AI governance grounded in epistemic sovereignty, participatory legitimacy, and plural knowledge systems, particularly African philosophical traditions such as Ubuntu and relational personhood. It proposes that contextually attuned governance must integrate indigenous values, community accountability, and regional coordination to ensure that Africa’s digital future is shaped by its own histories, priorities, and normative imaginaries rather than by external conformity. In doing so, the article contributes to a growing body of scholarship on post-colonial technology governance and outlines practical pathways for building inclusive, historically conscious, and self-determined AI governance in Africa.