GOVERNING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AFRICA: DATA PRIVACY, ETHICS AND THE PURSUIT OF RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping governance, economic development, and public administration across Africa, yet its accelerated adoption has outpaced existing legal, ethical, and institutional frameworks, exposing significant regulatory gaps. This article examines the evolving AI landscape across the continent, aiming to assess how far current data protection and human rights regimes address AI-specific risks such as algorithmic opacity, biometric surveillance, and cross-border data flows. Adopting a doctrinal, comparative, and descriptive methodology, the study analyses primary legal instruments, African Union frameworks including the Digital Transformation Strategy, Data Policy Framework, and Malabo Convention, alongside national statutes such as South Africa's POPIA and Nigeria's NDPA. Findings reveal that most African states lack AI-specific legislation, leaving accountability, transparency, and high-risk AI deployment inadequately regulated, while structural inequalities and dependence on foreign technology providers deepen risks of digital neo-colonialism. Based on these findings, the article recommends harmonised continental and regional regulatory frameworks, strengthened data protection authorities, dedicated AI oversight bodies, mandatory algorithmic impact assessments, and development of indigenous datasets reflecting Africa's linguistic and cultural diversity. It concludes that Africa stands at a decisive juncture: with coherent, rights-driven governance structures, AI can serve as a catalyst for equitable development, inclusive innovation, and technological