_{Betty Kyakuwa & Eve Nakyanzi}

Scholars from across Africa and beyond convened at Makerere University for a workshop on “Techno-Colonialism: Decolonizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for African Identity.” The event formed part of the ongoing African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Conference hosted at Makerere University, under the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity.

In her opening remarks, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Director of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity, welcomed participants to what she described as a “thought-provoking engagement for early career researchers.” She noted that the Centre, hosted at Makerere University, now brings together over 10 universities across Africa and partner institutions in the Global North to examine evolving African identities in the face of global transformations.

“We don’t imagine a single African identity defined by class, tribe, or religion,” Prof. Ssali said. “We consider African identities as lived, negotiated, and continually reshaped by experiences such as colonialism, globalization, and technological change.”

The workshop was moderated by Dr. Kemi Kehinde, an ARUA–Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow from Anchor University, Nigeria, who emphasized the need to critically examine the intersections between artificial intelligence, indigenous knowledge, and identity formation.

Dr. Kemi invited participants to reflect on a presentation by Dr. Sameen Musa on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and AI in the Context of Decoloniality and Sustainable Futures. She highlighted the importance of ensuring that AI systems recognize and integrate oral African traditions such as storytelling, proverbs, and performance arts—areas where current technologies often fall short.

“As young African scholars, we have a responsibility to shape the training models of AI so that future systems engage authentically with African oral traditions and worldviews,” Dr. Kemi noted.

The panel featured Prof. Aghogho Akpome from the University of Zululand, Dr. Isaac Tibasiima and Marvin Galiwango, a machine learning engineer at Makerere, and Dr. Nikolai Golovko from the Centre for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow and Dr. Chongomweru Halimu, a lecturer at the Department of Information Technology, Makerere University.

Speaking from South Africa, Prof. Aghogho Akpome delivered a strong critique of what he termed “the intellectual dependency fostered by generative AI tools.” He cautioned that over reliance on artificial intelligence for writing and research risks eroding cognitive skills and perpetuating new forms of colonial dependence.

“The use of generative AI without critical engagement amounts to intellectual theft,” he said. “It replaces creative thought with algorithmic mimicry, and that is the essence of techno-colonialism.”

Dr. Isaac Tibasiima, from Makerere University’s Department of Literature, offered a balanced view, arguing that while AI poses risks of cultural misrepresentation, it also presents opportunities for Africans to reclaim their agency by shaping the data that powers these systems.

“We need to feed our own knowledge into AI systems—honest, transparent, contextually grounded African knowledge,” Dr. Tibasiima said. “That’s the path to inclusion and authentic representation.”

From Moscow, Dr. Nikolai Golovko provided a global policy perspective, noting that while 11 African countries have adopted national AI strategies, implementation remains limited by resource and data inequalities. He warned that foreign-designed algorithms often ignore local contexts, reinforcing what he called “algorithmic colonialism.”

“African governments and universities must prioritize indigenous participation in AI design,” Dr. Golovko urged. “Otherwise, we risk reproducing colonial hierarchies in digital form.”

Dr. Halimu Chongomweru discussed the theme “Techno-Colonialism and Decolonizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for African Ideas.” He argued that today’s global digital ecosystem mirrors historical patterns of colonial exploitation—only now, instead of natural resources, Africa’s data is being extracted to fuel AI economies controlled by others.

He described this as a form of modern colonialism, not through armies or flags, but through algorithms, cloud servers, and digital platforms that define African problems and solutions without African participation. These systems enrich others while disempowering African communities.

Dr. Chongomweru emphasized that AI without culture is not intelligence but extraction. When AI models are trained on Western norms, they impose Western values globally, leading Africans to adopt technology without shifting the moral and cultural lenses behind it.

He urged a shift in focus from access to ownership, arguing that access without control only deepens dependency — another form of digital colonialism. True equalization, he said, means determining who owns, benefits from, and governs African data and AI systems.

To decolonize AI, Dr. Chongomweru proposed several actions:

1. Build African-owned data repositories hosted on African soil and governed by African laws.
2. Invest in AI research in African languages, moving from translation (copying) to representation (originating ideas).
3. Develop home-grown technological infrastructure, ensuring computation and innovation occur within the continent.

He concluded that Africa’s AI agenda must be rooted in cultural, linguistic, historical, and sovereign identity, drawing from African philosophical traditions to create ethical and inclusive AI systems.

Marvin Galiwango cautioned that Africa’s growing engagement with AI still relies heavily on foreign tools, funding, and servers, creating digital dependency rather than empowerment. He argued that so-called “inclusion” often leaves Africans creating within systems they don’t control. Drawing parallels with genomics, he noted that Africa provides data but lacks ownership of infrastructure and outcomes. He concluded that true technological independence requires Africans to build and govern their own digital systems.

The session closed with a lively discussion on the ethics of AI use in research, the need for inclusive data models, and the role of African universities in decolonizing digital technologies. Participants agreed that decolonizing AI is not merely a technological issue but a cultural, ethical, and identity-driven imperative for Africa’s future.

In an era defined by rapid technological disruption and a deepening knowledge economy, Africa stands at crossroads. The continent’s quest for transformation hinges not merely on resources or infrastructure, but on the strategic cultivation of its greatest asset, human capital. Universities, long recognised as the engines of progress, through their traditional primary roles of teaching, research and community engagement must now evolve to meet the demands of a digital and data-driven world. It is within this context that the fifth African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Biennial International Conference, convened at Makerere University under the theme “Research, Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Transformation,” assumes scholarly significance. Bringing together hundreds of scholars, policymakers, and thought leaders from across the continent and beyond, the conference underscores a collective urgency to harness the power of artificial intelligence not as a distant frontier, but as a practical tool for addressing Africa’s most pressing developmental challenges, from food security and health to employment, conflict, and migration. As Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University aptly observed in his opening remarks that the responsibility before Africa’s universities is not only to generate knowledge, but to translate it into transformative action through research and community engagement.

Across the African continent, universities are grappling with meeting the heightened demand for higher education. In the decades post-independence, enrolment in higher education has expanded more than tenfold, reflecting both the aspirations of a young and dynamic population and the continent’s growing recognition of knowledge as a catalyst for development through expansion of access to tertiary education. Yet, this expansion has not been matched by a proportional growth in academic human resources, particularly at the doctoral and professorial levels. A significant proportion of Africa’s senior academics, many trained in the 1970s and early 1980s, are now approaching or have reached retirement, leaving institutions operating at roughly 60% of their optimal staffing capacity. This demographic shift poses a critical challenge to the sustainability and quality of higher education and research. Also, often-overlooked, is the shortage of skilled technicians, whose expertise is essential to sustaining effective teaching, research, and innovation. As Africa strives to assert its place in the global knowledge economy, strengthening the pipeline of qualified academics and technical professionals emerges not just as a priority but as an imperative for the continent’s intellectual and developmental future.

The future of work is already being rewritten, according to the World Economic Forum, an astounding 65% of children currently in primary school will work in jobs that do not even exist yet, a startling statistic that underscores the magnitude of transformation ahead. This projection challenges traditional education systems to evolve towards prioritizing skills, critical thinking, adaptability and creativity. This paradigm shift presents both an urgency and opportunity for Africa to leverage on the power of technology and collaboration. The coming decades will witness a profound shift in labour markets, as demand transitions from conventional white-collar roles to emerging fields in computing, scientific research, healthcare, and engineering. Therefore harnessing the continent’s youthful technological potential and vigor will be essential in shaping a distinctly African model of innovation-driven development.

The African Union’s ambitious goal of training 100,000 PhDs by 2035 reflects a recognition that sustainable development depends on the continent’s capacity to generate and apply knowledge for its own advancement. Yet, the current landscape reveals stark disparities: while Africa is home to nearly 19% of the world’s population, it contributes less than 3% to global GDP share, shoulders 25% of the global disease burden, and produces a mere 2% of the world’s research output, 1.3% of world research spending and holds less than 1% of patent application worldwide. These figures expose the continent’s underrepresentation in the global knowledge economy. The good news is that Africa has a robust entrepreneurial class thriving everywhere from technological hubs to telecentres and incubators creatively adapting solutions to uniquely African challenges. This momentum is a critical driver of the economy, both because it facilitates access to basic needs such as education, financial services and healthcare, but also represents a shift to the knowledge-based economy that will carry Africa into a prosperous future.

Those who innovate will achieve Africa’s transformation story and the universities stand at the centre of this transformation. They must continue to nurture new generations of researchers, thinkers, and innovators capable of confronting Africa’s complex challenges with creativity and purpose. The rise of artificial intelligence offers unprecedented opportunities to leapfrog effects of colonialism and historical barriers, provided education systems adapt to prioritise critical thinking, and innovation.

_{By Caroline Kainomugisha}

This morning, the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, hosted a delegation from the University of Malmö, Sweden, marking another milestone in the growing collaboration between the two institutions.

The delegation comprised Catrin Stensson, University Lecturer; Dr. Dorota Lembrér, Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Mathematics Education; Magdalena Sjoestrand Oehrfelt, Senior Lecturer; and Therese Lindgren, Senior Lecturer.

During the meeting, Prof. Mugaga Muwanga traced the genesis of the partnership, noting that it began when Mr. Peter Ssenkusu, a lecturer at Makerere University, participated in a mobility programme at Malmö University focused on competence-based learning. That initial engagement has since blossomed into a strong and fruitful collaboration, illustrating how individual academic initiatives can grow into institution-wide partnerships that drive innovation in higher education.

With over 60 years of experience as a leading teachers’ college in Sweden before attaining university status five years ago, the University of Malmö brings a wealth of expertise in teacher training and pedagogy. This positions it as a strategic partner for Makerere University’s College of Education and External Studies (CEES) in its mission to enhance the training of educators and strengthen Early Childhood Education in Uganda.

Through this partnership, Makerere University has launched two landmark programmes: the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and the Master of Early Childhood Development. The response to these programmes has been overwhelming, with over 500 and 1,000 applications received respectively. Due to resource constraints, 200 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate students were admitted in the inaugural intake.

Beyond these academic programmes, the partnership continues to create broader institutional benefits. CEES currently hosts 11 PhD candidates whose research focuses on Early Childhood Education a direct outcome of strengthened academic collaboration and knowledge exchange between Makerere and Malmö.

With the launch of these two programs, Makerere University reaffirms its position as Uganda’s and the region’s premier institution for shaping the future of Early Childhood Education. The partnership has not only fostered academic exchange and faculty mobility but has also contributed to shaping national policy in Early Childhood Development, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports and looking to the future, other institutions of higher learning.

Prof. Mugaga Muwanga, together with Mr. Peter Ssenkusu and Mr. David Kabugo, have been instrumental in steering this collaboration to success. Their leadership underscores the power of faculty-led partnerships in translating Memoranda of Understanding into tangible outcomes that transform teaching, learning, and research.

Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Sarah Ssali reaffirmed Makerere University’s commitment to expanding strategic partnerships that advance the University’s academic mission and global reach. “Partnerships such as this not only strengthen our teaching and research capacity but also inspire shared innovation and learning that shapes the education systems of the future for all involved,” she said.

Looking ahead, the partnership will strategically focus on expanding student and faculty mobility, fostering joint research and publications, and introducing taught PhD programmes in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), complementing existing research-based options. Plans are also underway to establish an ECCE Resource Room and a fully-fledged Department of Early Childhood Care and Education at Makerere University, further strengthening the University’s capacity to lead in this critical field.

As Makerere University continues to position itself as a regional benchmark for Early Childhood Education, its partnership with the University of Malmö demonstrates the transformative potential of collaboration, bridging institutions, nations, and disciplines to nurture educators who will shape generations to come.

Caroline Kainomugisha is Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.