By Tendai Chisiri
VICTORIA FALLS – Africa must take an active role in shaping the ethics, governance and direction of artificial intelligence, or risk having a future designed without its values and languages, Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe Director General Dr Gift Machengete has said.
Speaking at the closing of the ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa 2026 and the African Preparatory Meeting for PP-26 in Victoria Falls, Dr Machengete warned that while technology makes many things possible, humanity must still decide what is desirable.
“Africa has always valued the sanctity of life, the dignity of death, the spirituality of existence, and the humanity of human relationships. We therefore cannot afford to become passive consumers of technologies developed elsewhere without participating in the conversations that shape their direction, their limits, their ethics, and their impact on humanity,” he said.
He said the rise of AI, robotics, voice cloning and digital memory systems is pushing society to the edge of redefining life, identity and even death, citing systems that can recreate synthetic versions of deceased people from their digital footprint.
Dr Machengete argued that if Africa does not participate in global discussions on AI, digital governance, data governance and cybersecurity, the continent’s languages, cultures and perspectives could be excluded from future AI systems.
“For far too long, Africa has occupied the periphery of the global digital economy despite being home to one of the youngest, fastest-growing, and most innovative populations on earth,” he said.
He framed the challenge as one of digital sovereignty, saying connectivity must be used for empowerment, industrialisation and cultural preservation. “Every fibre network we deploy, every tower we erect, every rural school we connect, and every young African we equip with digital skills must contribute toward building an Africa that creates, an Africa that innovates, an Africa that influences, and an Africa that leads,” he said.
About the Forum
According to POTRAZ briefing notes, the Regional Development Forum for Africa is a major ITU platform that brings together governments, regulators, industry and development partners to review ICT progress, identify priority actions, and build consensus on strategies for Africa’s digital transformation.
The forum works to align Africa’s ICT priorities with the ITU-D agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and covers areas including broadband expansion, cybersecurity, digital skills, innovation and the use of ICTs in health, education, agriculture and finance.
The meeting in Victoria Falls brought together ICT ministers, regulators and industry leaders from across Africa to prepare common positions ahead of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026.
Dr Machengete hosted delegates in Victoria Falls, describing the city as a place where “humanity blends seamlessly with the wild” and urging them to ensure Africa’s voice is heard in defining the “intelligent age”.
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