- Africa has more than 2,000 distinct languages, but many remain underrepresented in digital platforms and AI systems.
- Digital rights require equitable access to information and technology, regardless of geography, language, connectivity or digital literacy.
- AI tools designed exclusively for English-speaking users risk reinforcing inequality and excluding underserved African communities.
- Low-bandwidth, offline-first and voice-enabled AI solutions can improve access to healthcare, education, agricultural advice and public services in rural areas.
- Governments, technology developers and funders must prioritise inclusive design, local-language support and community participation to ensure AI benefits all Africans. *
At the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2025, world leaders hailed artificial intelligence as the great equaliser.
But realistically, with hundreds of millions of people across Africa still lacking basic internet connectivity, we are watching a digital revolution unfold that risks leaving the most vulnerable communities behind.
At its heart, this is a question of digital rights.
Simply put, this is the idea that life-changing technologies should be accessible to everyone, regardless of geography, digital literacy or language. In the modern world, access to information is a human right. Without it, an individual is cut off from the digital economy and technologies needed for survival and opportunity.
At the WSIS summit, South Africa rightly championed the concept of “rights-respecting digital development”. It’s a school of thought that posits AI systems that overlook local languages, rural communities or digitally excluded populations risk reinforcing existing inequalities rather than reducing them.
A stark linguistic divide
Africa boasts more than 2 000 distinct languages, yet these languages are barely represented online. Initiatives like Masakhane work to strengthen natural language processing (NLP) research for African languages. Without intentional design like this, an AI healthcare bot trained exclusively on English data is useless to an isiZulu speaker in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
At Flow Communications, we grapple with these realities daily.
Flow managing director Tiffany Turkington-Palmer says: “When we work with clients in the development sector – such as environmental communicators or global multilateral organisations – we advocate for digital solutions that operate smoothly in low-bandwidth environments and incorporate local languages where necessary. Where AI can’t get the job done, we will ensure that our work is translated and accessible.”
There is considerable potential for artificial intelligence to improve development outcomes across the continent. But these must be tailored to socio-economic realities. For example, AI-powered agricultural advisory services that operate via voice commands on a standard cellphone immediately bypass literacy barriers for rural farmers.
Similarly, offline-first digital solutions ensure that communities with limited connectivity are not entirely cut off from citizen service platforms and digital health and education platforms.
However, achieving this requires a fundamental shift in how governments and tech developers approach design.
Funding inclusion is key
Donors and policymakers must insist on funding mechanisms that actively support underserved and rural communities. Crucially, we must involve these communities directly in the design and testing of these AI systems to proactively address the bias that creeps into algorithms and ensure representation that is authentic.
AI must be a tool that complements existing services rather than creating new barriers for already underserved communities.
Inclusive AI is not a luxury but a human right
Organisations that place digital rights and accessibility at the heart of their AI development will create solutions that serve more people, more fairly.
Only through rights-respecting digital development can we ensure that the African continent moves from merely participating in the Fourth Industrial Revolution to actively shaping it.
* Summary created by AI.
Thrishni Subramoney is a senior communications specialist, Flow Communications.
