African Finance Ministers adopt resolution to make frontier technologies a core economic priority
Date: 2026-04-04
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
At
the 58th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning,
and Economic Development held in Tangier, Morocco, ministers adopted a
comprehensive resolution positioning frontier technologies as central to
Africa’s economic transformation. The ministerial statement emphasized that
innovation and the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence,
automation, blockchain, biotechnology, nanotechnologies, digital payment
systems, and the Internet of Things are vital for boosting productivity,
diversifying economies, and accelerating structural transformation across the
continent.
The
resolution, supported by high-level dignitaries including the Chairperson of
the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Vice-President of
Botswana, Ndaba Gaolathe, and former Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo,
outlines measures to treat frontier technology infrastructure as a strategic
public good and sovereign asset. Ministers recognized the potential of Africa’s
youth, critical mineral reserves, renewable energy resources, and emerging
digital ecosystems to drive innovation at scale and enhance regional
integration under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Key
commitments include expanding investment in data centres, ensuring
cybersecurity and data protection, integrating frontier technologies into
national development planning, and promoting regulatory and financing
frameworks to support sustainable digital infrastructure. The resolution also
calls for targeted support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and
the informal sector to leverage technological solutions, while emphasizing the
need to address risks related to labor market disruptions and technological
dependence.
Ambassador
Philip Thigo, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, highlighted that the
resolution reflects a strategic shift in African policy, recognizing that
technology policy is now inseparable from economic policy and that frontier
technologies should be treated as core economic infrastructure to drive
inclusive growth, competitiveness, and resilience.
