A G20 Roadmap: Cultural Sovereignty As Infrastructure

Cultural Sovereignty as Infrastructure: A G20 Roadmap is a jointly prepared policy and economic framework developed by the African Union Development Agency's (AUDA-NEPAD) Policy Bridge Tank, AXM Technologies Corp. (AXM), and Africa Investor (Ai) Group. The report argues that cultural and creative intellectual property (Cultural IP) should be recognized and governed as a sovereign infrastructure asset—similar to digital identity, payments, and data systems within global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) frameworks.

The roadmap provides governments, multilateral institutions, and investors with a practical model for integrating Cultural IP into national accounts, sovereign finance tools, and AI-era data governance. It introduces the concept of Authorship DPI, an emerging standards-based approach that enables nations to register cultural works, verify consent, track attribution, license datasets for ethical AI training, and issue royalty-linked financial instruments rooted in verified cultural rights.

The report outlines a six-pillar policy framework; regional implementation pathways for the Global South; a sovereign accounting and valuation methodology aligned with IAS 38 and IFRS 13; and a 2025–2030 G20-aligned roadmap for the deployment of registries, verifier networks, public finance instruments, and cross-border governance standards. It positions Cultural IP as a renewable, non-extractive asset capable of strengthening sovereign balance sheets, enabling ethical AI development, and advancing Agenda 2063 and global sustainable finance goals.

Designed as a practical reference for policymakers, development finance institutions, cultural ministries, AI regulators, and digital infrastructure leaders, the report provides the foundation for treating culture not as a symbolic heritage domain but as a measurable, investable, and sovereign-controlled economic asset class.