https://en.sputniknews.africa/20260901/data-is-african---profits-are-not-challenging-digital-colonialism-1088764557.html
Data is African - Profits Are Not: Challenging Digital Colonialism
Data is African - Profits Are Not: Challenging Digital Colonialism
Sputnik Africa
Every search, transaction, and online interaction generates data—a resource more valuable than oil in the modern economy. For Africa, the question is no longer... 01.09.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-09-01T15:08+0200
2026-09-01T15:08+0200
2026-09-01T15:08+0200
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africa
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Data is African - Profits Are Not: Challenging Digital Colonialism
Sputnik Africa
Every search, transaction, and online interaction generates data—a resource more valuable than oil in the modern economy. For Africa, the question is no longer about connectivity alone, but about who controls the infrastructure, who sets the rules, and who captures the value created by millions of African users.
Across the continent, millions of users generate data daily, and the opportunity to capture its value has never been greater. By investing in African-owned data centers, cloud capacity, and AI models trained on local languages and cultures, Africa can move from being a consumer of technology to a creator, building a digital economy that works for everyone.Global South Pole spoke with Olufunke Omoyemi-Baruwa, Deputy Director and Head of Partnerships, Collaboration, and Philanthropy Unit at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation of Nigeria, about digital colonialism, the urgent need for African-owned infrastructure, and how governments can use policy and procurement to build a digital economy that works for Africans.Omoyemi-Baruwa argued that digital colonialism reproduces old patterns of dependency—where foreign companies control platforms, algorithms, and cloud infrastructure while African users generate data and bear the risks of privacy, security, and dependency. She stressed that Africa must treat data as strategic infrastructure, ensuring that local languages, cultural contexts, and public interest data are used to build African AI capabilities rather than training systems owned elsewhere. She called for collaboration between public and private sectors to fund digital infrastructure, strong privacy laws tailored to African contexts, and public procurement that strategically buys from African tech companies to help them scale and compete globally.To listen to the whole discussion, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, and Mave Stream.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole
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africa, nigeria, podcasts, data, sovereignty, technology, artificial intelligence (ai), colonialism, аудио
africa, nigeria, podcasts, data, sovereignty, technology, artificial intelligence (ai), colonialism, аудио
Data is African - Profits Are Not: Challenging Digital Colonialism
Aliyu Bello
Correspondent, Podcast Host
Every search, transaction, and online interaction generates data—a resource more valuable than oil in the modern economy. For Africa, the question is no longer about connectivity alone, but about who controls the infrastructure, who sets the rules, and who captures the value created by millions of African users.
Across the continent, millions of users generate data daily, and the opportunity to capture its value has never been greater. By investing in African-owned data centers, cloud capacity, and AI models trained on local languages and cultures, Africa can move from being a consumer of technology to a creator, building a digital economy that works for everyone.
Global South Pole spoke with Olufunke Omoyemi-Baruwa, Deputy Director and Head of Partnerships, Collaboration, and Philanthropy Unit at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation of Nigeria, about digital colonialism, the urgent need for African-owned infrastructure, and how governments can use policy and procurement to build a digital economy that works for Africans.
Omoyemi-Baruwa argued that digital colonialism reproduces old patterns of dependency—where foreign companies control platforms, algorithms, and cloud infrastructure while African users generate data and bear the risks of privacy, security, and dependency. She stressed that Africa must treat data as strategic infrastructure, ensuring that local languages, cultural contexts, and public interest data are used to build African AI capabilities rather than training systems owned elsewhere. She called for collaboration between public and private sectors to fund digital infrastructure, strong privacy laws tailored to African contexts, and public procurement that strategically buys from African tech companies to help them scale and compete globally.
"We still have an advantage because we're still very virgin-like in terms of what we can do with technology and data. Yesterday was the best time to act. The next best time is today," Omoyemi-Baruwa said.
To listen to the whole discussion, tune in to the
Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by
Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole 
