Charles Duri
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
AFRICA must play an active role in shaping the development and governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to safeguard its cultural values, languages and digital sovereignty, Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) director-general Dr Gift Machengete has said.
Speaking at the International Telecommunication union (ITU) Regional Development Forum for Africa 2026 and the African Preparatory Meeting for PP-26 in Victoria Falls, Dr Machengete warned that rapid advances in emerging technologies risk side-lining African perspectives if the continent does not assert itself.
He said breakthroughs in AI, robotics, synthetic humans and digital memory systems were ushering in a technological era once thought impossible, with profound social and ethical implications.
Dr Machengete said AI systems were now capable of collecting and analysing vast digital footprints — including voice recordings, social media activity, messages, photographs, videos, writings and behavioural patterns — to recreate highly realistic synthetic representations of individuals, even after death.
“A deceased person’s digital footprint — including voice recordings, social media posts, messages, photographs, videos, writings, educational history, professional records, personality traits, behavioural patterns and accumulated knowledge — can now be collected and analysed by advanced AI systems,” he said.
He added that such data could be integrated into humanoid robots or digital beings capable of mimicking human appearance, speech, emotional responses and intellectual behaviour.
“In other words, humanity is entering an era where people may one day speak, interact, learn from and even live alongside synthetic versions of deceased loved ones that appear astonishingly human,” said Dr Machengete.
While acknowledging that technological advancement is inevitable, he stressed that African societies must determine whether such innovations align with their cultural and moral frameworks.
“As Africans, we must ask ourselves an important question: Is this the future we want?” he said.
“While technology may make something possible, humanity must still decide whether it is desirable.”
Dr Machengete said Africa’s strong cultural traditions, spirituality and communal values made it essential for the continent to participate in global debates on AI governance, digital regulation, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
“If Africa does not actively participate in shaping Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, then the future may be designed without African values, African cultures, African spirituality, African languages and African perspectives,” he said.
“That would be a profound mistake because technology is never neutral.”
He said there was need to ensure African languages and lived realities are embedded in AI systems to avoid digital exclusion.
“AI systems must speak and understand Kiswahili, isiZulu, Shona, Yoruba, Hausa, Amharic, Arabic and the many indigenous languages that carry the identity, wisdom and cultural heritage of our people,” he said.
“A continent whose languages and values are absent from Artificial Intelligence systems risks becoming invisible in the future knowledge economy.”
Dr Machengete said Africa should prioritise digital sovereignty by investing in connectivity, infrastructure, innovation and digital skills development, warning against becoming merely a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
“Connectivity must become a tool for empowerment, innovation, industrialisation and cultural preservation,” he said.
The ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa 2026 and the African Preparatory Meeting for PP-26 brought together policymakers, regulators, technology experts and industry leaders from across the continent to discuss Africa’s digital transformation agenda and preparations for future global telecommunications policy frameworks.
ENDS_
Online Reporter