We drive a comprehensive, human rights-centered agenda to ensure Africa’s technological transformation benefits its people. Our work is built on four interconnected pillars: generating evidence, amplifying voices, informing policy, and building grassroots capability.
We generate actionable evidence on how the rapid expansion of AI and digital infrastructure intersects with critical sectors across Africa. Our research maps AI value chains and their connection to critical minerals, analyses national and regional policy frameworks, documents human rights impacts including environmental degradation, displacement, and labour conditions, and examines the gender dimensions of mining and digital infrastructure. We pay close attention to how bilateral partnerships and concession agreements align—or fail to align—with regional and continental frameworks, surfacing the governance gaps that companies and external partners can otherwise navigate around.
We monitor the physical footprint of the digital economy, systematically tracking data centre development and its societal impacts across the continent. By mapping land use, water and energy consumption, labour practices, and community engagement, we build an essential evidence base to hold governments and corporations accountable.
We advocate for common, human rights-centered guidelines governing AI adoption at regional and continental levels. Our work promotes unified frameworks that prioritise human rights protections, environmental sustainability, local value addition, fair benefit-sharing, and gender inclusion across the continent.
We democratise AI knowledge through initiatives like the AI Pulse, a regional monitoring platform that provides reliable, accessible information on AI developments, policy changes, and associated controversies. Our AI Literacy and targeted mentorship programmes empower communities, youth, and women with the practical skills and awareness to become active participants in shaping Africa’s AI future.
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