African Finance Ministers adopt resolution to make frontier technologies a core economic priority – Tech Review Africa

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye
At the 58th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development held in Tangier, Morocco, ministers adopted a comprehensive resolution positioning frontier technologies as central to Africa’s economic transformation. The ministerial statement emphasized that innovation and the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain, biotechnology, nanotechnologies, digital payment systems, and the Internet of Things are vital for boosting productivity, diversifying economies, and accelerating structural transformation across the continent.

The resolution, supported by high-level dignitaries including the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Vice-President of Botswana, Ndaba Gaolathe, and former Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, outlines measures to treat frontier technology infrastructure as a strategic public good and sovereign asset. Ministers recognized the potential of Africa’s youth, critical mineral reserves, renewable energy resources, and emerging digital ecosystems to drive innovation at scale and enhance regional integration under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Key commitments include expanding investment in data centres, ensuring cybersecurity and data protection, integrating frontier technologies into national development planning, and promoting regulatory and financing frameworks to support sustainable digital infrastructure. The resolution also calls for targeted support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector to leverage technological solutions, while emphasizing the need to address risks related to labor market disruptions and technological dependence.

Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, highlighted that the resolution reflects a strategic shift in African policy, recognizing that technology policy is now inseparable from economic policy and that frontier technologies should be treated as core economic infrastructure to drive inclusive growth, competitiveness, and resilience.
 
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