Opinion Piece by Namibia’s Ambassador to France, Albertus !Aochamub

Africa Must Shape the Global Digital Rules, Not Merely Absorb Them

On 18 June 2025, I had the honour of representing Namibia at the inaugural Tech Diplomacy Forum, convened at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The gathering brought together diplomats, technology leaders, scholars, and multilateral institutions to deliberate how we govern our collective digital future, examining critical issues ranging from artificial intelligence and data governance to cybersecurity and infrastructure resilience.
As the world accelerates into a new technological epoch, one observation remains clear: Africa continues to be marginalised in the global rule-making processes of the digital age. Despite being home to the world’s youngest and most rapidly growing digital population, the continent remains underrepresented in key negotiations that will determine the trajectory of our shared digital future.
It is time for this to change. Africa must become a rule-maker, not a rule-taker.
A Digital Continent with Diminished Influence
From Silicon Valley to Shenzhen, digital capabilities increasingly define national competitiveness and geopolitical weight. Global powers are racing to shape the ethics of artificial intelligence, secure control over semiconductor supply chains, and assert jurisdiction over global data flows. Yet African states are often relegated to the role of end-users—passive participants in a domain that profoundly affects their societies.
This narrative is not only reductive; it is unjust.
Africa possesses a compelling vision for its digital future. The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030) articulates a bold ambition for sovereignty, inclusion, and innovation. Indigenous tech ecosystems are emerging across the continent. Plans for green industrialisation through digital tools are gaining traction. What Africa lacks is not imagination, but structured influence in the very forums where the global digital architecture is being designed.
Reclaiming Agency Through Tech Diplomacy
Digital diplomacy is now central to modern statecraft. The European Union deploys digital ambassadors. The United Arab Emirates has a minister for artificial intelligence. Latin American countries are advancing legislation on data protection and digital rights.
African countries must respond with similar institutional seriousness.

At the Paris forum, I proposed the creation of an African Tech Diplomacy Academy—a pan-African platform to train diplomats, technologists, and policymakers to engage in high-stakes global digital negotiations. We urgently need a new generation of African envoys who can fluently navigate both code and convention, who understand algorithms as well as international law.
Africa must also speak with one voice at multilateral platforms, be it the United Nations, WTO, ITU, or the Global Digital Compact. Fragmentation weakens our position. A coordinated, values-driven stance will amplify Africa’s role in shaping global norms.
Digital Sovereignty and Justice Must Go Hand in Hand
Yet digital diplomacy must be about more than geopolitical clout. It must be anchored in justice.
Too many African communities remain digitally marginalised, not for lack of potential, but due to persistent inequalities in infrastructure, access, and policy. While tech giants build renewable-powered data centres on African soil, many Namibian schools lack stable electricity and internet access. While AI models scrape global data, African cultures, languages, and knowledge systems remain largely absent from digital spaces.
True tech diplomacy begins at home. It demands investments in broadband infrastructure, digital literacy, and ethical AI. It means enabling African youth to be not only users of technology but creators of digital futures that reflect their values and aspirations.
Namibia’s Strategic Opportunity
Namibia finds itself at a decisive moment. Our Green Industrialisation Roadmap, anchored in renewable energy, hydrogen development, and sustainable mining, relies on robust digital infrastructure and governance. If approached strategically, tech diplomacy can unlock economic value, protect national assets, and foster innovation.
This will require strategic, not extractive, partnerships. Our engagement with global tech actors must be based on reciprocity, fair regulation, and skills transfer. Namibia’s foreign service must integrate digital issues into its core diplomatic agenda, proactively shaping global frameworks while safeguarding our national interests.
As a small but strategic state, Namibia can lead by example. We can advocate for inclusive standards, open-source AI access, and digital trade norms that empower, not exploit, developing nations.
Conclusion: Co-Authors of the Digital Future
The message from the Paris forum was unequivocal: the digital world is being redrawn. Africa must not stand by as a silent observer. We have the talent, the vision, and the moral imperative to shape a more equitable digital future.

Let us claim our place, not with protest, but with principle. Let us not only participate in digital diplomacy but define it. The world needs Africa, not as a digital afterthought, but as a co-architect of global tech governance.
About the Author
H.E. Albertus Aochamub is Namibia’s Ambassador to France, with concurrent accreditation to Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and UNESCO. A former public broadcaster CEO and presidential advisor, he is an advocate for digital sovereignty, inclusive multilateralism, and sustainable development. He participated as a panellist at the inaugural Tech Diplomacy Forum in Paris on 18 June 2025.