Senator Prof. Margaret Kamar, Dr Everlyn Gitau Chief Scientific Officer at SFA Foundation, Dr Catherine Kyobutungi Executive Director APHRC, and Kamwulia Okafor Director of Industry Services at GSMA During the Launch
African countries risk losing control of their data, research priorities and development decisions because of continued reliance on external funding and knowledge systems, raising concerns about the continent’s ability to sustain evidence-based policymaking.
The call followed the launch of a flagship report by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) during the Africa Health and Development Annual Research Symposium (AHDARS 2026), convened by APHRC in collaboration with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).
The symposium brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and innovators to discuss African-centred data and knowledge systems.
Strengthening African ownership and investment
Anthony Mveyange, Director of Programmes for Synergy at APHRC, said the report examines how the continent can harness data and knowledge as strategic assets amid disruptions in the global funding landscape.
“This year’s flagship report focuses on building African-centred data and evidence systems. It asks what new ways of thinking are needed, what we can do differently and what powers Africa can harness to leapfrog its development using data and knowledge as its own assets,” he said.
Jointly produced by APHRC, the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) and GSMA, the report draws on the institutions’ experiences and projects across the continent to identify gaps and opportunities for strengthening data and knowledge systems.
Mveyange said funding disruptions had exposed the vulnerability of African research and health systems, particularly ministries of health and externally funded projects that support evidence-based decision-making.
“We have seen significant changes in the data and evidence ecosystem in Africa, particularly affecting externally funded projects that have heavily supported decision-making on the continent,” he said.
He identified three key findings: the need for African countries to exercise greater authority over their data systems, increase domestic investment in research, and ensure initiatives continue beyond donor funding cycles.
“Participation is not equal to authority. We should not assume that because we are participating, we have authority,” he said, calling for African institutions to have greater control over how data is generated, governed and used.
On sustainability, he said African countries must mobilise domestic resources to reduce reliance on external partners and ensure projects survive beyond donor funding.
“The question is how we ensure that the initiatives we start do not end with the funding cycle. They must continue, and that requires us to build the capabilities and systems needed to sustain them,” he said.
The report also highlights the importance of trust, community participation and indigenous knowledge, arguing that evidence used in policymaking should reflect local experiences and realities.
“Trust is very critical. The data and knowledge we use need to borrow from the experiences of our communities. Our knowledge, our experiences and our actual contexts must be woven into decision-making,” Mveyange said.
On artificial intelligence, he called for technologies that reflect Africa’s linguistic and cultural diversity, citing the Faraja mental health initiative as an example of culturally contextualised AI.
“We need to be able to design AI systems that are locally understood and use native and vernacular languages,” he said.
He added that while AI could accelerate the digitisation of manual records, investment in interoperable and federated infrastructure remained necessary to enable different systems to communicate and share information.
Building responsible AI governance
Dr Everlyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer at the Science for Africa Foundation, called for enabling artificial intelligence regulations that protect the public without stifling innovation, warning that limited understanding of emerging technologies among policymakers could lead to restrictive governance frameworks.
“Regulating could also be inhibitive, and we need to regulate in a way that is enabling. You cannot leave it open to a laissez-faire approach, but regulation should not become an obstacle to innovation,” she said.
She noted that inadequate understanding of AI among policymakers was contributing to scepticism and concerns about its potential impact, particularly the fear that machines would replace human workers.
She cited ongoing AI training programmes targeting African parliamentarians, including members of parliament and senators, to improve their understanding of the technology, its applications and implications for policymaking.
“Most of the parliamentarians we have engaged with say they are very sceptical about AI. The only thing they hear about AI is machines replacing humans. Yet, when we conducted a survey on areas where AI has potential and where it has already made an impact, education emerged as one of them,” she said.
She emphasised that capacity building should be continuous because AI and other emerging technologies evolve rapidly, while parliamentarians play a critical role in shaping policies and legislation.
Beyond training, she said efforts were underway to develop model laws on AI and cybersecurity to help African countries establish appropriate regulatory frameworks. She cited Botswana, which had approached the organisation for support in developing a model cybersecurity law, saying such initiatives could provide a foundation for other countries to develop their own legislation.
She expressed concern over the slow progress in establishing national AI governance frameworks despite existing continental instruments, including the Malabo Convention and the African Union’s continental AI strategy.
“Only 15 countries have strategies and governance frameworks, and no African country has an Act on AI. Yet the continental strategy and the Malabo Convention are almost 10 years old, and nothing has moved,” she said.
She called for coordinated action involving governments, civil society organisations, research institutions, think tanks and the media to advance responsible AI governance and improve public understanding of the technology.
Strengthening national and regional data systems
Bheki Bhembe, Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office of the Kingdom of Eswatini, called for African countries to strengthen ownership of data and knowledge systems to ensure research informs local development priorities.
He said the choices African countries make about technology will shape their development paths for generations, urging governments to build systems that serve their populations and support evidence-based policymaking.
“The theme of this symposium, Building African-Centred Data Systems: New Models, New Power, challenges us to build concrete systems that serve our people, share knowledge and strengthen continental development intelligence,” he said.
Bhembe highlighted Eswatini’s ongoing reforms to strengthen national data management and research capacity, including the development of digital public infrastructure, a national artificial intelligence strategy and implementation of the Data Protection Act of 2020.
He also cited the government’s strategic partnership with APHRC, launched by the Prime Minister last month, as an important step towards evidence-based policymaking.
He emphasised that African countries must determine what data is collected, how it is governed and who can access it, while strengthening statistical institutions, universities and research organisations.
“Responsible governance is not a brake on progress. Rather, it builds public trust by ensuring our systems respect privacy and reflect local realities,” he said.
He further called for regional interoperability to support information sharing on cross-border challenges, including migration, trade, climate change and food insecurity.
Bhembe urged African governments to invest in secure data centres, reliable energy networks and renewable energy to support sustainable digital infrastructure.
“The Kingdom of Eswatini remains fully committed to working alongside you to harness data into practical policy decisions that serve our continent,” he said.
Investing in African research and expertise
Prof. Margaret Kamar, Senator at the Pan-African Parliament, called on African countries to strengthen ownership and control of data, saying the continent must take the lead in determining how information generated from its communities is managed, interpreted and used.
She said Africa had sufficient data and research expertise but continued to lose intellectual and economic benefits because much of its data was analysed elsewhere using externally determined priorities.
“For too long, data collected from African communities has often been analysed elsewhere, using methods and priorities determined elsewhere. As a result, much of the intellectual value, policy influence and economic benefit derived from African data has accrued beyond the institutions and communities that produced it,” Prof. Kamar said.
She warned that adopting technologies and artificial intelligence systems developed outside the continent without considering local realities could reinforce existing inequalities, particularly in healthcare, education and social protection.
Prof. Kamar said data sovereignty did not mean isolating Africa from international partnerships but ensuring that African institutions retained control over how data was collected, stored, protected, shared and used.
She highlighted the importance of reliable health data in strengthening disease surveillance and emergency preparedness, citing lessons from HIV, Ebola, COVID-19 and cholera outbreaks.
The Pan-African Parliament adopted a resolution on July 30, 2026, placing health security and sovereignty at the centre of Africa’s development agenda, with trusted health data identified as a key pillar.
She also called for greater investment in African research institutions and professionals, stronger regional data systems and the use of scientific evidence in legislation, budgeting and public policy.
Citing the Parliament’s model laws, Prof. Kamar said universities and research institutions provide scientific evidence to inform legislative frameworks that member states can adapt to their national contexts.
“Research and data must inform legislation, budgets, oversight, policy development and programme implementation. Evidence should shape public decisions at every level,” she said.
