African Union Agenda 2063: Digital Development in the Age of Digital Coloniality

This paper examines the African Union's Agenda 2063 in the digital domain, focusing on digital coloniality. It argues that Ubuntu and decolonial methodologies can promote equitable and sustainable digital development. The concept indicates that global digital networks reinforce historical power imbalances, limiting African technological agency (Bon et al., 2021). Digital coloniality involves re-assessing imported technological frameworks that often conflict with indigenous African epistemologies and communal values (Stam, 2021). The goal is to generate insights and provide recommendations for the multilateral organisation, academia, and stakeholders. The study is based on a conceptual framework of Ubuntu and decoloniality, which serve as pathways for fair and sustainable technological progress, representing a significant contribution to knowledge for the AU. The conceptual approach employs a comparative desktop research analysis, the findings show that a Western-European-centric approach still dominates the development and implementation of technology frameworks, perpetuating dependency cycles and further undermining the development and deployment of context-appropriate technology, including artificial intelligence. Therefore, the research advocates for a collective strategy for technology development and deployment that is rooted in African values and effectively addresses African challenges.