An Open Letter to African Leaders on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Digital Sovereignty and the Protection of Africa’s Future

The AI threat that Africa cannon ignore

The Chairperson of the African Union
The African Union Commission

Heads of State and Government of the African Union Member States

Your Excellencies,

I write to you as a former Chairman of the Zimbabwe Information and Communication Technologies (ZICT) a division of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (ZIE), with many years of experience advocating for greater awareness of cybersecurity and information technology issues across Africa. Over the years, I have published numerous papers and articles on the growing threat of cyberattacks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and I have also organised and held cybersecurity conferences and awareness initiatives aimed at bringing together stakeholders to discuss the growing risks facing our digital society.

I have consistently warned that Africa cannot afford to underestimate the consequences of cyber threats or remain overly dependent on technologies and digital infrastructure developed outside the continent.

Today, I believe we have reached another critical moment. Artificial Intelligence Has Changed the Threat Landscape. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces an entirely new dimension to cybersecurity and national security. Warnings from individuals working at the forefront of AI research including concerns that sufficiently advanced AI could potentially pose an existential threat to humanity should be taken seriously.

Whether the most extreme predictions ultimately materialise or not, one fact is already clear: AI has the potential to dramatically increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber threats. Africa is therefore more vulnerable than ever before.

Many African countries continue to face challenges including limited cybersecurity investment, shortages of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals, inadequate digital infrastructure, insufficient protection of sensitive data and dependence on foreign technology platforms.

The AI dimension could amplify these vulnerabilities considerably. Africa Cannot Afford to Wait. Our continent must not treat AI simply as another technological development. AI is becoming a strategic capability with implications for national security, defence, banking, healthcare, elections, energy, telecommunications, agriculture, education and critical national infrastructure. A sophisticated adversary equipped with advanced AI could potentially identify vulnerabilities, automate attacks and operate at a speed and scale that traditional cybersecurity teams may struggle to counter.

Africa therefore needs a coordinated continental response. We cannot continue relying solely on individual countries attempting to defend themselves in isolation. Africa Must Develop Technological Sovereignty.

Your Excellencies, Africa must also confront a fundamental strategic question: Who owns the technology upon which Africa’s future will depend? If African countries remain primarily consumers of AI technologies developed elsewhere, we risk repeating a familiar pattern in which Africa provides data and markets while intellectual property, infrastructure and much of the economic value remain outside the continent.

Africa must become a creator, developer, owner and responsible regulator of AI technology. We need greater investment in African AI research, computing infrastructure, cybersecurity capabilities, data centres, digital skills and African-owned technology companies. Our universities must be empowered to train the next generation of African AI scientists, engineers and cybersecurity specialists.

A Continental AI and Cybersecurity Strategy

I call upon the African Union to consider establishing or strengthening a continent-wide initiative focused specifically on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity and national security.

Such an initiative could include:

• A continental AI and cybersecurity threat-monitoring centre.
• Greater intelligence sharing between African states.
• Joint cyber-defence exercises.
• Protection standards for critical national infrastructure.
• Continental AI safety and governance standards.
• Investment in African-owned AI and cybersecurity technologies.
• Training programmes for African cybersecurity professionals.
• Stronger protection of African government and citizen data.
• Cooperation between African universities, governments and technology companies.
• Emergency mechanisms for responding collectively to major cyber incidents.

This is ultimately not simply a technology issue. It is about protecting Africa’s people and Africa’s future. Africa’s Black and Arab populations, together with all of the continent’s diverse communities, deserve to enter the AI era with security, dignity and technological sovereignty.

We cannot allow Africa to become one of the easiest regions to destabilise because we failed to invest sufficiently in protecting our digital infrastructure. At the same time, we must not allow fear of AI to prevent Africa from embracing its enormous potential. Africa must embrace AI but Africa must also understand, control and protect itself from its risks.

Your Excellencies, I have spent years raising awareness about cyberattacks and cybersecurity threats. Through published articles, cybersecurity conferences and other awareness initiatives, I have consistently sought to draw attention to the risks facing our increasingly connected societies. The emergence of increasingly powerful AI makes those warnings more urgent.

The question before Africa is no longer whether AI will affect our continent. It will. The question is whether we will be prepared.

History has repeatedly demonstrated the consequences of technological dependence. We now have an opportunity to ensure that the next technological revolution is different.

Africa must invest. Africa must collaborate. Africa must develop its own expertise.
Africa must protect its data. Africa must strengthen its cybersecurity. And Africa must have a seat at the table where the future of Artificial Intelligence is being decided.

I respectfully urge the African Union and every African Head of State and Government to treat the AI and cybersecurity threat as a matter of continental strategic importance and to begin an urgent dialogue on how Africa can protect its people, economies, infrastructure and sovereignty.

The continent should not wait for a catastrophic cyberattack or an AI-related crisis before taking action.

The time to prepare is now not after the crisis.

Yours faithfully,

Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi

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