As the European Union prepares to revise the very privacy and artificial intelligence (AI) regulations it previously promoted across Africa, concerns are growing over the continent’s ability to adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Basil Udotai Esq., a leading African tech policy advocate and founder of CreativeAfrica Tech Policy, warns that Africa may now be facing the consequences of years of regulatory imitation. “For years, Europe aggressively built a global empire of regulations—GDPR, DMA, DSA, the AI Act—all designed first and foremost for its own economic interests and as instruments of global competitiveness,” Udotai told our reporters.
According to Udotai, the EU invested heavily in promoting its regulatory frameworks across Africa, funding the drafting of local bills, training legislators and regulators, and shaping institutions to mirror European enforcement systems. “And it worked, like magic. African countries lined up, one after the other—cap in hand—swallowing EU regulatory evangelism while ignoring the hard economic and development realities staring us in the face,” he said.
Udotai, who has long advocated for Africa to develop its own rules, explained that he repeatedly warned policymakers against blindly adopting European models. “I wrote memos, petitioned policymakers, and publicly critiqued sanctions inspired by EU rules—like Nigeria’s $220 million FCCPC sanction against Meta—but little changed. Local vested interests and EU lobbying power simply overpowered the substance of my argument,” he added.
Now, with Europe pulling back from some of its aggressive regulatory measures, Udotai says Africa is left with rules designed for a different context, enforced by professionals who adhere to doctrines even the EU is abandoning. “What’s our game plan? Wait for Europe to revise the rules and then copy and paste them again? Or take the bold step of originating our own rules, reflective of our conditions, to create the future we want for our digital economy? The choice appears much clearer now. But who’s listening?” he questioned.
Udotai emphasized that this moment calls for honesty and self-reflection. “Africa must first acknowledge the shame of allowing itself to become a regulatory laboratory for Europe. Without this, we may never find the courage to dump foreign and unrealistic frameworks that were never meant for us in the first place. Our mumu don do, abeg!”
The warning from Udotai comes at a critical juncture as African policymakers grapple with the challenge of balancing digital sovereignty, innovation, and global competitiveness.
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