Category: African Affairs

By Taurai Chiraerae & Dr Alexandre Essome

In an era where rapid technological advancement intersects with pressing global challenges, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development (CAISD) accessible at [www.caisd.co.za] stands as Africa’s dedicated hub for harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to advance sustainable development. By bridging academia, industry, government, and civil society, CAISD fosters an ecosystem where cutting-edge, locally relevant AI applications tackle the continent’s most critical economic, social, and environmental hurdles. Its vision is to become Africa’s premier centre for AI-enabled sustainable development, while its mission focuses on rigorous research, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and multi-stakeholder partnerships that place African priorities at the core of global innovation.

CAISD’s work spans agriculture, mining, climate resilience, governance, and inclusive digital transformation. Through collaborative projects, training programmes, and thought-leadership platforms including its podcast, YouTube channel (@CAISD-2025), and active presence on X (@CAISD_2025) the Centre amplifies Africa-led solutions and builds the human and institutional capacity required for the continent to shape, rather than merely adopt, emerging technologies.

Debt Sustainability in Focus: South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency and the Clash Between Incremental Reform and Structural Change

The Johannesburg G20 Summit (22–23 November 2025), hosted under South Africa’s historic first African presidency and the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, placed Africa’s development priorities including the continent’s deepening debt crisis at the centre of global economic discourse (G20, 2025b, 2025d). With the African Union now a permanent G20 member, the summit became a crucial testing ground for reconciling creditor-led incremental reforms with borrower-driven demands for systemic overhaul.

Africa remains the region hardest hit by the global debt crisis. Interest payments on external public debt for low-income countries have doubled over the past decade, often exceeding combined spending on health and education (G20, 2025a, 2025b). Debt stocks rose fivefold between 2010 and 2020, leaving 25 African countries at high risk or in distress by early 2025 (African Union, 2025a; Matiashe, 2025). These burdens choke fiscal space for SDG investments and perpetuate dependency dynamics reminiscent of colonial-era imbalances.

The G20’s Ministerial Declaration on Debt Sustainability and subsequent Leaders’ Declaration reaffirmed commitment to the Common Framework (CF) for debt treatment, launched in 2020 as successor to the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (G20, 2025a). Progress has been made with Ethiopia, for instance, completing restructuring in roughly one year but average timelines still hover around two years, leaving countries in prolonged limbo (G20, 2025a; Matiashe, 2025). The G20 response focuses on procedural enhancements: clearer “lessons-learned” guidelines, voluntary data-sharing pilots, expanded use of crisis-resilient debt clauses (CRDCs), and case-by-case debt-for-climate or debt-for-development swaps (G20, 2025a, 2025b).

Yet African leaders, galvanised by the African Union’s Lomé Declaration of May 2025, argue that such measures are “too little, too late, too complex” (African Union, 2025a; Matiashe, 2025). The Lomé text demands a fundamentally new debt doctrine: mandatory debt standstills during negotiations, enforceable comparability of treatment across all creditors, exclusion of climate and social spending from debt sustainability assessments, and the creation of an independent global enforcement mechanism ideally under a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt (African Union, 2025a). It also accelerates African-owned institutions such as the African Credit Rating Agency (ACRA) and the African Financial Stability Mechanism to reduce reliance on Northern-dominated rating agencies and multilateral lenders.

Across sub-Saharan Africa in 2025, governments transferred an estimated $45–50 billion in external debt service to foreign creditors more than the combined public spending on health ($27 billion) and education ($38 billion) in the region that year (G20, 2025a; African Union, 2025a). In practical terms, this meant that for every dollar a typical low-income African country paid in interest and principal, less than 60 cents reached classrooms or clinics. Those redirected resources could have trained and hired an additional 800,000 teachers and nurses continent-wide, constructed or refurbished roughly 120,000 primary-healthcare facilities, or fully immunised every child under five against preventable diseases for the next decade. Instead, the relentless outflow perpetuated a vicious cycle in which preventable mortality and learning poverty remained stubbornly high, undermining both human capital formation and long-term economic productivity (G20, 2025b; Matiashe, 2025).

The fiscal squeeze from debt service also starved critical infrastructure and climate-resilience investments at the precise moment they were most needed. In 2025, 25 African countries classified as being in debt distress or at high risk collectively spent nearly three times more on external debt servicing than on capital expenditure (G20, 2025a). The foregone resources could have financed the connection of an additional 60 million people to clean electricity through renewable mini-grids, expanded irrigated farmland by 4–5 million hectares to bolster food security against recurrent droughts, or built and maintained over 80,000 kilometres of all-weather rural roads investments that typically deliver benefit–cost ratios exceeding 5:1 in African contexts (African Union, 2025a). By crowding out these high-return projects, excessive debt service did not merely delay development; it actively eroded the continent’s capacity to adapt to climate shocks and achieve the structural transformation envisioned in both the SDGs and Agenda 2063.1.5s

Where AI Meets Debt Sustainability: CAISD’s Vision for Technology-Enabled Reform

This tension between patching an existing, creditor-heavy architecture and building a new, equitable one creates a unique opening for AI-driven innovation, an area explicitly championed by South Africa’s G20 presidency through its Task Force on AI, Data Governance, and Innovation for Sustainable Development and the launch of the AI for Africa Initiative (G20, 2025c, 2025d). CAISD positions itself at the heart of this convergence, demonstrating how AI can operationalise both G20 incremental improvements and the more radical AU vision.

1. Transparency and Contract Fairness

Opaque debt contracts remain a major barrier to equitable treatment. Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools similar to those developed in BIS projects such as AISE and Ellipse can automatically extract and compare key terms (interest rates, collateral, suspension clauses) across thousands of loan agreements in seconds (Bank for International Settlements, 2025). For African debt offices, this means real-time auditing capability, strengthening negotiating positions and directly supporting the Lomé call for standardised, enforceable comparability of treatment.

2. Supervisory Technology (SupTech) for Debt Management

AI-powered supervisory platforms already used in financial regulation can be adapted to national debt offices, continuously scanning portfolios for early distress signals, hidden contingent liabilities, or illicit financial flow risks estimated at $88 billion annually across Africa (Bank for International Settlements, 2025; Prenio, 2025).

3. Growth-Oriented Debt Sustainability Analysis

The Lomé declaration insists that debt sustainability assessments must reflect development needs by excluding climate, health, and security spending. Machine learning “nowcasting” models that integrate satellite imagery, mobile money data, and real-time economic indicators can produce far more nuanced, forward-looking fiscal projections than traditional IMF-World Bank frameworks (Bank for International Settlements, 2025). Such evidence strengthens African bargaining power in creditor committees.

4. Fairer Credit Ratings and Domestic Resource Mobilisation

The forthcoming African Credit Rating Agency can leverage broader, alternative datasets (trade flows, mobile penetration, climate risk modelling) to generate risk scores that are less biased against African issuers, potentially lowering borrowing costs continent-wide.

5. Governance and Institutional Design

By building open-source, auditable AI tools under African governance aligned with the G20’s emphasis on trustworthy AI (Financial Stability Board, 2025) CAISD and partners can help shift power from opacity to verifiable transparency, turning the Lomé Declaration’s demands from rhetoric into operational reality.

From Global Pledges to African-Led Solutions

The 2025 Johannesburg G20 Summit reaffirmed multilateral commitment to debt sustainability while exposing the limits of creditor-led incrementalism. The African Union’s Lomé Declaration, backed by South Africa’s diplomatic leadership, has elevated the call for structural justice in global finance. In this pivotal moment, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development (CAISD) offers a practical pathway forward: deploying African-centred AI to enhance transparency, strengthen governance, produce development-sensitive analytics, and ultimately help redesign a global financial architecture that serves people rather than perpetuates dependency.

As the continent moves from the symbolic triumph of hosting the G20 to the hard work of implementation, CAISD stands ready to partner with governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector to turn both G20 commitments and AU ambitions into measurable impact. Visit [www.caisd.co.za] or follow @CAISD_2025 on X to explore collaboration opportunities and stay updated on AI-driven solutions for Africa’s sustainable future.

References

African Union. (2025, May 14). Draft declaration of the African Union Conference on Debt. https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/44785-doc-EN_Draft_Zero_Declaration_AU_Conference_on_Debt_Final.pdf

Bank for International Settlements. (2025, October). The use of artificial intelligence for policy purposes: Report submitted to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. https://www.bis.org/publ/othp100.pdf

Financial Stability Board. (2025, October 13). FSB Chair’s letter to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors: October 2025. https://www.fsb.org/2025/10/fsb-chairs-letter-to-g20-finance-ministers-and-central-bank-governors-october-2025/

G20 South Africa. (2025, October 16). Ministerial declaration on debt sustainability: 4th Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors Meeting. https://g20.org/g20-media/ministerial-declaration-on-debt-sustainability-4th-finance-ministers-central-bank-governors-meeting/

G20 South Africa. (2025, November 23). G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration. https://dirco.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-G20-Summit-Declaration.pdf

G20. (2025c). Chairs statement task force on artificial intelligence, data, governance and innovation for sustainable development (2025).

Matiashe, F. S. (2025, May 15). Africa resolves to reform G20 debt framework at major gathering. https://african.business/2025/05/finance-services/africa-resolves-to-reform-g20-debt-framework-at-major-gathering

Prenio, J. (2025). Starting with the basics: A stocktake of gen AI applications in supervision.

Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance and Innovation for Sustainable Development. (2025, September 30). Chair’s statement: Task force on artificial intelligence, data governance and innovation for sustainable development. G7/G20 Documents Database.

By Taurai Chiraerae

Introduction

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development (CAISD) is actively engaged in Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, with a specific focus on analyzing and shaping AI policy frameworks at the country level across Africa. Regionally, this work first targets the African Union’s Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy and its corresponding Implementation Plan, followed by an in-depth focus on individual member state experiences. This article marks the inaugural piece in this pivotal CAISD series, setting the foundation for our forthcoming analysis.

The AI jangle

In the intricate tapestry of global technological governance, where power dynamics between developed and developing nations often tilt toward the former, the African Union (AU) emerges as a pivotal architect in countering Africa’s artificial intelligence marginalization. Amid escalating geopolitical rivalries, exemplified by the U.S.-China contest for AI supremacy and data sovereignty, the continent risks peripheralization without AU-led frameworks to assert technological agency.

The AU’s proactive orchestration of AI policy is thus strategically imperative, transforming potential vulnerabilities into levers of sovereignty. Projections underscore this urgency that AI could infuse $15.7 trillion into the global economy by 2030, yet Africa’s equitable slice depends on foresightful regulations that mitigate the digital divide, gender inequities, and neocolonial data exploitation (African Union, 2024). By embedding pan-African principles like Ubuntu into governance, the AU not only safeguards human-centered development but also positions the continent as a co-shaper of international norms, ensuring AI serves as a catalyst for inclusive prosperity rather than a vector of exclusion.

The AU Continental AI Strategy. Overview of Pillars, Actions, and Imperatives

Adopted in July 2024, the AU Continental AI Strategy (2025–2030) stands as a landmark in multilateral AI diplomacy, aligning AI governance with Agenda 2063’s aspirations for an integrated, prosperous Africa and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Framed as a people-centric, development-oriented, and inclusive blueprint, it navigates the dualities of AI’s promise and perils through five interconnected focus areas (African Union, 2024).

First, the strategy prioritizes harnessing AI’s benefits for African peoples, institutions, private sectors, and states, in consonance with Agenda 2063’s “leave no one and no place behind” ethos. This entails targeted applications in agriculture, education, healthcare, public service delivery, climate adaptation, and peace and security, while bolstering private sector competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Second, it confronts AI’s risks via governance attuned to African contexts, safeguarding human rights, gender equality, dignity, information integrity, and ecological sustainability, infused with cultural values like communal solidarity. Third, it accelerates capabilities in foundational infrastructure (e.g., broadband, data centers, IoT), talent pipelines, diverse datasets, and research ecosystems. Fourth, it fosters regional and international partnerships to elevate Africa’s global stature, countering asymmetries in AI standard-setting. Fifth, it galvanizes public-private investments to fuel these endeavors.

To operationalize its visionary framework, the AU Continental AI Strategy meticulously outlines fifteen action areas, each functioning as a strategic diplomatic instrument to synchronize continental efforts and embed AI within Africa’s developmental architecture (African Union, 2024). At the outset, it prioritizes foundational governance through the establishment of robust regulatory regimes at national and regional levels (Action 1), ensuring that AI deployment aligns with sovereignty imperatives amid global tech asymmetries. This paves the way for transformative public sector integration (Action 2), where AI enhances service delivery, streamlining bureaucratic inefficiencies and fostering citizen-centric governance, as seen in potential applications for e-health and administrative digitization.

Complementing this, the strategy accelerates AI’s infusion into Agenda 2063’s core sectors (Action 3), such as agriculture for precision farming and health for predictive diagnostics, thereby addressing structural vulnerabilities like food insecurity and healthcare access gaps. Parallel tracks empower the private sector and small-to-medium enterprises (Action 4) by incentivizing AI adoption to boost competitiveness under the AfCFTA, while nurturing an inclusive startup ecosystem (Action 5) democratizes innovation, channeling Africa’s entrepreneurial youth toward homegrown solutions that circumvent foreign dependencies.

Building on these enablers, the strategy delves into infrastructural and human capital imperatives, advocating for the curation of diverse, open-access datasets alongside resilient computing ecosystems like data centers and cloud services (Action 6), critical bulwarks against data colonialism and infrastructural silos that perpetuate North-South divides. To safeguard societal fabrics, it fortifies defenses against misinformation through enhanced media literacy and information integrity measures (Action 7), while proactively cultivating AI talent pipelines via reskilling programs for automation-threatened jobs (Action 8), thus mitigating labor market disruptions in a youth-dominated continent. Research synergies between academia, industry, and government (Action 9) ignite challenge-driven innovation, embedding African priorities into global knowledge production.

Ethical guardrails are enshrined next (Action 10), weaving human rights, Ubuntu-inspired inclusivity, child protections, and equitable intellectual property norms into AI’s moral compass, countering biases that could entrench inequalities. Technical standardization for system safety (Action 11) follows, harmonizing protocols to avert cyber vulnerabilities, before culminating in resource mobilization through targeted investments (Action 12), multistakeholder regional coordination (Action 13), amplified African agency in global forums (Action 14), and strategic international alliances (Action 15) that secure technical and financial inflows without compromising autonomy. Collectively, these levers not only translate rhetoric into resilient praxis but also reposition Africa as a normative influencer in the geopolitical theater of AI governance.

The AU Commission is tasked with crafting a five-year implementation plan attuned to Member States’ disparities in digital readiness; spearheading African-led risk assessments on socioeconomic and cultural impacts; convening multistakeholder dialogues; embedding AI in AU agendas and partnerships; hosting annual AI safety conferences; innovating financing for R&D and skills; and inventorying continental AI excellence centers. Member States must domesticate strategies with talent retention policies, declare AI a national priority via public-private synergies, invest in youth skills, and devise agile regulations. The private sector is urged to co-invest in solutions enhancing productivity and capabilities, while development partners, mindful of historical imbalances should align support with Agenda 2063 priorities like food security and climate resilience, aiding infrastructure and risk mitigation.

Phased rollout by the AU are foundational governance in 2025–2026, scaled projects post-2027 will be monitored via an AI readiness index, emphasizing sovereignty in global tech norms.

AI Regulations and Policies for Africa’s Development.

AI regulations go beyond narrow technical details, serving as tools of soft power in today’s world of competing global influences. They must balance economic needs such as standardizing data under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to improve AI-driven supply chains with social fairness, helping to prevent job losses from automation among Africa’s large youth population (African Union, 2024). Ethical guidelines, inspired by UNESCO’s standards but shaped by African values like Ubuntu, call for regular audits to detect biases and ensure inclusivity, respecting the continent’s rich array of languages and cultures. On the infrastructure side, policies should promote secure, locally controlled data storage systems to combat “data colonialism” and curb AI’s high energy use in regions facing power shortages.

The dangers are clear: without strong rules, AI might spread disinformation that weakens elections or enable surveillance that erodes national independence. What Africa needs are flexible, risk-based regulatory systems similar to the EU AI Act but adapted for speed and context to tackle the continent’s low preparedness (a 2024 Oxford Insights score of 32.7 out of 100) while protecting vibrant innovation centers, like Nigeria’s booming fintech sector (Mastercard, 2025). Ultimately, these policies bring to life the pan-African unity of Agenda 2063, shifting AI from an external risk to a powerful driver of homegrown progress.

Current Status on AI Strategies, Data Protection Legislation, and Agencies in Africa

As of October 2025, Africa’s AI governance mosaic reflects diplomatic momentum, with at least 15 countries boasting national strategies up from eight in 2024 plus two continental frameworks (African Business, 2025; Research ICT Africa, n.d.). Trailblazers include Kenya’s 2025 ethics-centric blueprint; Nigeria’s NCAIR-led agriculture focus; Rwanda’s smart-city pivot; South Africa’s ethical framework; and Egypt’s OECD-aligned 2025–2030 plan targeting 7.7% GDP from ICT (Mastercard, 2025). Drafts proliferate in Tanzania and Cameroon, though Central Africa’s infrastructural voids persist, alongside talent drains (3% of global AI experts African) (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2025a).

Data protection, AI’s governance bedrock, advances apace: 46 of 54 countries enact laws, with 34 dedicated agencies enforcing them (International Association of Privacy Professionals, 2025). Anchored in the Malabo Convention (16 ratifications), exemplars encompass Nigeria’s 2023 NDPA via NDPC (with 2025 AI assessment mandates); Kenya’s 2019 Act under ODPC; South Africa’s 2013 POPIA by Information Regulator; and Rwanda’s 2021 law (VinciWorks, 2025). Enforcement lags only 46% AI-provisioned underscore harmonization needs, yet agencies foster REC dialogues, curbing silos (Africa Data Protection, 2025).

Conclusion: Toward a Sovereign AI Continent

The AU Strategy’s multilateral architecture its focus areas, actions, and calls heralds Africa’s AI agency, demanding concerted diplomacy to surmount disparities. CAISD’s series will probe national variances, distilling replicable models. Imperatives: inclusive regulations yielding $2.9–4.8 billion gains by 2030; data-AI synergies for trust; agency-led enforcement. By centering African narratives, we reclaim AI as a diplomacy of equity, not extraction.

References

Africa Data Protection. (2025). Legislation. https://blog.africadataprotection.org/en/legislation/

African Business. (2025, October 13). From strategy to sovereignty: Crafting Africa’s AI future. https://african.business/2025/10/innov-africa-deals/from-strategy-to-sovereignty-crafting-africas-ai-future

African Union. (2024). Continental artificial intelligence strategy. https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/44004-doc-EN-_Continental_AI_Strategy_July_2024.pdf

Brookings Institution. (2025, May 20). Digital solutions in agriculture drive meaningful livelihood improvements for African smallholder farmers*. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/digital-solutions-in-agriculture-drive-meaningful-livelihood-improvements-for-african-smallholder-farmers/

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (2025a, September 11). Understanding Africa’s AI governance landscape: Insights from policy, practice, and dialogue. https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/09/understanding-africas-ai-governance-landscape-insights-from-policy-practice-and-dialogue?lang=en

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (2025b, September 25). What’s next for Africa’s AI future? https://carnegieendowment.org/carnegie-africa-program-newsletter/whats-next-for-africas-ai-future

Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development. (2025a). About us. https://backend.caisd.africa/about-us/

FurtherAfrica. (2025, July 28). AI in African agriculture: Productivity through data. https://furtherafrica.com/2025/07/28/ai-in-african-agriculture-productivity-through-data/

International Association of Privacy Professionals. (2025, April 30). Evaluating data privacy across Africa: Toward a unified GDPR-inspired framework. https://iapp.org/news/a/evaluating-data-privacy-across-africa-toward-a-unified-gdpr-inspired-framework

Mastercard. (2025, August 5). Harnessing the transformative power of AI in Africa. https://www.mastercard.com/news/media/ue4fmcc5/mastercard-ai-in-africa-2025.pdf

Research ICT Africa. (n.d.). National AI strategies and policies in Africa map. https://researchictafrica.net/research/national-ai-strategies-and-policies-in-africa-map /

VinciWorks. (2025, July 13). Data protection in Africa: Key regulatory developments. https://vinciworks.com/blog/data-protection-in-africa-key-regulatory-developments/

World Bank. (2025, March 12). Is artificial intelligence the future of farming? Exploring opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/agfood/artificial-interlligence-in-the-future-of-sub-saharan-africa-far

“A call for African-led solutions amidst a flawed global framework”

By Taurai Chiraerae and Emmanuel Innocents Edoun

Lomé, Togo – 12th May 2025: In this beautiful evening in the capital of the west African country of Togo, the heat outside the venue is not telling the full story of what 500 delegates are grappling with inside the conference centre hosting, the African Union Debt Conference under the overarching theme of “Restoring and Safeguarding Debt Sustainability.”

On that day of 12 May 2025, the Conference in Lomé concluded with a resounding call for Africa to take ownership of its escalating debt crisis. The high stakes gathering, marked by the physical presence of Heads of State from Ghana and Togo, and a virtual address by the President of Zambia, underscored the deep political commitment to finding lasting solutions. The attendance of numerous Central Bank Governors, Ministers of Finance, civil society organisations, and member countries further highlighted the urgency and the direct involvement of key economic decision-makers in addressing the continent’s precarious financial situation.

The atmosphere in Lomé was thick with a sense of urgency, amplified by the haunting echoes of the 1980s debt crisis that crippled the continent. History serves as a stark reminder: a staggering 187% surge in external debt between 1976 and 1980 plunged Africa into prolonged economic stagnation. While subsequent debt relief initiatives offered temporary respite, fundamental vulnerabilities persisted, culminating in another dramatic debt surge between 2010 and 2020. By 2023, Africa’s external debt had ballooned to approximately 24.5% of its combined GDP, a figure that, while varying with different calculation methods, still represents a significant drain on national resources.

The stark reality is that the IMF/World Bank’s Debt Sustainability Framework now categorizes a deeply concerning 25 African nations as being in or at high risk of debt distress, a dramatic increase from just 9 in 2012. This escalating crisis is forcing a painful trade-off, with a growing number of African nations now allocating more funds to servicing their debts than to essential healthcare, jeopardizing the immense $1.3 to $1.6 trillion financing gap required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063.

A central tenet of the discourse in Lomé was a growing disillusionment with the existing global debt resolution mechanisms, particularly the G20 Common Framework. The experiences of nations like Ghana and Zambia painted a sobering picture of a framework widely perceived as slow, complex, and ultimately failing to deliver the timely and comprehensive debt relief urgently required. This sentiment resonated strongly throughout the conference, with participants drawing lessons from past initiatives like the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) and the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The pivotal question debated was whether the time has come for a new, Africa-specific debt relief framework – one designed by and for the continent, tailored to its unique structural challenges, and genuinely aimed at freeing up crucial fiscal space for sustainable development.

A key element of this proposed African-led approach is the urgent need for enhanced credit ratings in Africa. Participants voiced concerns about perceived biases inherent in global credit rating methodologies. The potential of the African Credit Rating Agency to improve Africa’s representation in global capital markets, strengthen domestic rating systems, and bolster investor confidence was strongly emphasized as a critical step in tackling the continent’s debt woes. The prevailing sentiment was that solutions must prioritize Africa’s long-term growth and sovereignty over outdated and creditor-biased global architectures.

The conference featured a comprehensive examination of the continent’s deepening debt crisis through in-depth panels and technical discussions. Experts dissected the growing fiscal pressures arising from limited market access and escalating debt servicing costs. The panel on “Africa’s Public Debt Management Agenda in Restoring and Safeguarding Debt Sustainability” underscored the urgent need for liquidity support and strategic investments aligned with Agenda 2063. A critical assessment of the “G20 Common Framework and the Current Debt Conundrum in Africa” highlighted its inadequacies and the painful experiences of Ghana and Zambia, advocating for a new, Africa-led debt workout mechanism based on an intergovernmental process that ensures participatory negotiations between all creditors and debtors.

Discussions also centered on strengthening domestic debt management practices through enhanced oversight, fiscal discipline, and institutional capacity (“Sound Debt Management Practices and Public Debt Sustainability in Africa”), and the crucial role of parliaments in ensuring accountability (“Legislative Oversight and Accountability in Public Debt”). Furthermore, the conference addressed biases in global credit rating methodologies (“Enhancing Credit Ratings in Africa”) and explored innovative financing solutions and the role of Pan-African financial institutions. Deliberations on “Debt Transparency and Accountability” underscored the importance of accessible debt data and civil society engagement.

The culmination of these in-depth discussions was the adoption of the Lomé Declaration on Africa’s Debt, a unified African position intended to guide future negotiations and reforms. This declaration comes at a significant time, coinciding with the African Union’s declaration of 2025 as the year of “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” explicitly linking historical injustices to the continent’s current debt burden.

In this critical context, the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionize Africa’s approach to sovereign debt management emerged. championed by institutions like the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development (CAISD). Dr. Emmanuel Edoun articulated the need for African governments to create jobs and enhance domestic resource mobilization to unlock finances for development. As further explored in CAISD’s analysis, AI offers a powerful toolkit for enhanced transparency, accountability, and ultimately, debt sustainability. By leveraging AI for sophisticated data analysis, real-time monitoring, predictive risk assessment, streamlined reporting, and enhanced audit capabilities, African governments can gain unprecedented insights into their debt profiles and potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the integration of AI with technologies like blockchain holds the promise of ushering in an era of immutable and transparent debt records.

The Lomé Declaration on Africa’s Debt signifies a unified continental resolve to take ownership of its debt challenges. Embracing innovative solutions like AI, alongside a determined push for a new, Africa-led debt resolution framework based on a participatory intergovernmental process, may well be the key to finally breaking free from the shackles of unsustainable debt and charting a course towards genuine fiscal sovereignty and lasting development. It is crucial that African debt restructuring efforts do not undermine the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The experiences of countries like Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Côte d’Ivoire, now entering debt restructuring processes, must reinforce and protect public services, ensuring that resources are not diverted away from the people to creditors. The current G20 Common Framework’s exclusion of other creditors, including multilateral lenders and private creditors, undermines the effectiveness of the entire process. The 55 African countries could collectively advocate for a debt service suspension, even on interest rates, to prevent the crowding out of essential service delivery. Monitoring debt-to-revenue ratios is critical to ensure that debt service obligations do not supersede governments’ responsibilities to their citizens.

This necessitates the implementation of progressive, not regressive, tax systems to avoid transferring the burden of borrowing costs onto the populace. Enhanced oversight on debt management, involving parliaments, the judiciary, auditor general reports, and strengthened debt management offices, is paramount for accountability. Ultimately, the Lomé conference underscored a continent determined to forge its own path towards sustainable financial solutions and economic recoveries, recognizing that true progress requires a fundamental shift in the global debt architecture and a firm commitment to African-led solutions.

Copyrights (CAISD)