The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Recolonisation of Africa

The Coloniality of Data

By Prof. Everisto Benyera

Chapter 4: Data mining, harvesting, and datafication

Page 67

This chapter examines how African data is mined, harvested, and commodified by global tech companies without proper regulation. It explores the technical and economic processes that enable data extraction from Africa.

Key Points

  • Analysis of data mining techniques and their application in African contexts
  • Examination of how personal and public data is harvested from African users
  • Discussion of the process of datafication and its economic implications
  • Exploration of the regulatory gaps that enable uncompensated data extraction

The chapter provides a detailed analysis of how data has become a valuable resource in the global economy and how Africa's data is being extracted without adequate compensation or regulation. Prof. Benyera examines the technical processes of data mining and harvesting, as well as the economic structures that transform this data into capital.

By focusing on the specific mechanisms of data extraction, the chapter demonstrates how the Fourth Industrial Revolution enables new forms of exploitation that parallel historical patterns of resource extraction. This analysis highlights the urgent need for African countries to develop data sovereignty frameworks and regulatory mechanisms to protect their citizens' data.

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