The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Recolonisation of Africa

The Coloniality of Data

By Prof. Everisto Benyera

Chapter 7: Mapping Africa's destiny in the fourth industrial revolution

Page 129

This chapter considers possible futures for Africa in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and potential paths forward. It explores strategies for asserting African agency and sovereignty in the digital age.

Key Points

  • Analysis of different possible trajectories for Africa in the 4IR
  • Examination of policy options for protecting data sovereignty
  • Discussion of regional and continental approaches to digital governance
  • Exploration of decolonial strategies for technological development

The chapter moves beyond critique to consider how Africa might chart its own course in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Prof. Benyera examines various policy options and strategic approaches that African countries could adopt to protect their sovereignty and ensure that technological change benefits their citizens.

By mapping possible futures, the chapter provides a framework for thinking about Africa's agency in the digital age. It argues that while the 4IR poses significant challenges, it also presents opportunities for Africa to break historical patterns of dependency and exploitation—but only if African countries develop coordinated strategies to assert control over their data and digital infrastructure.