Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries are moving towards greater alignment of data governance policies as governments seek to strengthen the region’s readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) and reduce reliance on technologies developed outside Africa.
The issue took centre stage at the SADC Regional Workshop on Data Governance in the Digital Age, hosted in Harare by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services.
The workshop, held in partnership with the World Bank, Smart Africa, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), and UNESCO, is examining opportunities to harmonise data policies and establish stronger foundations for responsible AI development across the region.
Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Beaullah Chirume, said coordinated data governance would be critical to ensuring that SADC countries can participate meaningfully in the AI economy.
“Without strong data governance and policy harmonisation, our region risks falling behind in AI readiness or becoming passive consumers of external technologies,” Chirume said.
Delegates from South Africa, Comoros, Eswatini and Botswana highlighted the importance of secure, reliable and representative data as a prerequisite for effective AI deployment.
They noted that gaps in local digital infrastructure, data availability, and governance could leave African markets increasingly dependent on AI systems developed elsewhere, potentially limiting the region’s ability to shape technologies to its own economic, social, and cultural realities.
The discussions come as African countries accelerate efforts to develop national and regional approaches to AI governance. However, implementation remains uneven across the continent, according to analysis from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Countries including Mauritius, Egypt, Rwanda and Kenya have emerged as early movers in formal AI policy development, with their approaches broadly aligned with the African Union Continental AI Strategy.
For SADC, greater policy coordination could help address differences between national data governance regimes while creating a more predictable environment for cross-border data flows, digital services and AI innovation.
Chirume stressed that data governance should not be viewed solely as a regulatory issue, but as a foundation for the performance and trustworthiness of emerging technologies.
“Data quality directly influences the reliability, fairness, and safety of AI models, making synchronised policy essential as technology expands,” she said.
The workshop underscores the growing recognition that Africa’s AI ambitions will depend not only on access to computing power and digital infrastructure, but also on the availability of high-quality data, robust governance frameworks, interoperable systems and policies that enable responsible data sharing and innovation.
For SADC nations, harmonising these foundations could prove critical to ensuring that the region moves from being a consumer of AI technologies to becoming an active participant in their development and deployment.
