_{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.

Officials from the UNESCO Antenna Office in Uganda paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of Makerere University, marking another chapter in a long-standing partnership focused on equipping students with industry-ready skills and advancing cross-disciplinary innovation.

Led by the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Ms. Louise Haxthausen, the delegation met with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe to review flagship partnership programmes and explore expansion across all ten colleges of the University. The discussions centered on the implementation of the Chinese Fund-in-Trust (CFIT) through the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and the O-3Plus project, which addresses mental health, gender-based violence (GBV), HIV awareness, and other student-wellbeing priorities.

During the meeting, the discussion highlighted several key elements:

• The CFIT initiative at CEDAT has enabled students to access equipment, industry exposure, and practical training, aligning academic curricula with workplace demands.
• The O-3Plus project has delivered transformative activities beyond classrooms, facilitating mental-health dialogues, HIV awareness, and GBV prevention campaigns, thereby supporting the holistic development of learners.
• UNESCO emphasized the importance of scaling these interventions beyond CEDAT across all ten colleges of Makerere University.
• Collaboration with the University’s alumni mentorship network was identified as a key strategy to connect previously trained students with current cohorts, strengthening peer-learning, internships, and pathways to job creation.

Applauding Faculty Leadership at CEDAT

The Vice Chancellor commended Professor Dorothy Okello, Dean of the School of Engineering at CEDAT, for her exceptional leadership in coordinating and implementing these initiatives. Prof. Okello has been instrumental in steering UNESCO-supported projects such as CFIT, ensuring that Makerere students not only gain technical expertise but also develop the soft skills and professional readiness needed in today’s evolving job market.

Her leadership demonstrates the power of faculty-led partnerships in translating institutional collaborations into tangible outcomes that directly benefit students. By aligning global partnerships with Makerere’s teaching and research agenda, faculty leaders like Prof. Okello are helping bridge the gap between academia and industry, creating graduates who are innovative, adaptable, and ready to lead.

Partnerships for a Job-Creating Future

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe applauded UNESCO’s longstanding collaboration with Makerere, recalling that the organization played a foundational role over fifty years ago in establishing the University’s Engineering Department.

“UNESCO has been a key partner of Makerere for over five decades. They helped us lay the foundation for engineering education. Today, the CFIT programme is helping our students acquire industry-ready skills. Our goal is not to send out job-seekers but job-creators,” he said.

Prof. Nawangwe also emphasized the need to broaden attention to the creative arts and industries, which hold untapped potential for entrepreneurship and job creation. He further highlighted the importance of building African capacity in artificial intelligence (AI) and programming to ensure that Africa is not left behind in future technological economies.

In her remarks, Ms. Louise Haxthausen, the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, commended Makerere University for its outstanding implementation of the Chinese Fund-in-Trust (CFIT) project and the broader collaboration with UNESCO. She noted that Makerere’s model anchored in strong faculty leadership and student-centered innovation stands out as a best practice within the region.

“We are deeply impressed by the impact the CFIT project has achieved at Makerere University, particularly in equipping students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed beyond the classroom,” Ms. Haxthausen said. “Our hope is to replicate this success in other universities across the region.”

She further inquired about opportunities to expand UNESCO-supported initiatives beyond the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) to other colleges within the University, noting that such expansion would ensure that all Makerere students benefit from the programs’ holistic approach to learning, innovation, and personal development.

Prof. Henry Alinaitwe from CEDAT, emphasized the need to strengthen technical capacity within the program to sustain and scale its success. He highlighted the importance of bringing in more experts to work closely with students, as well as improving infrastructure for data storage, management, and digital learning systems. Prof. Alinaitwe further noted that enhancing programming and coding skills among students is essential for preparing them to engage with emerging technologies and contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s and Africa’s digital transformation.

The meeting reaffirmed Makerere University and UNESCO’s shared commitment to strengthening higher-education partnerships, closing the gap between academia and industry, and ensuring that scientific knowledge translates into real-world impact.

As both institutions prepare to expand initiatives across all colleges and deepen alumni-led mentorship, the collaboration sets a strong foundation for nurturing graduates equipped for the future world of work and innovation.

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