[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] Digital independence: Reclaiming Africa’s tech sovereignty in a data-colonised world
In the 19th century, Africa’s wealth in raw materials was extracted in plain sight: gold, oil, cobalt and other resources were carved out and shipped abroad to fuel the industrial expansion of Europe and North America.
But in the 21st century a quieter, more insidious form of extraction is underway — one that is far less visible, yet potentially just as profound in its implications. This time, the resource is not a mineral, but data: the billions of digital traces generated every day across a continent of over 1.5 billion people. Every mobile-money payment, every search query typed into a browser, every location ping, social-media post and click in Africa feeds a global data economy dominated by corporations headquartered thousands of miles away. At the same time that internet use in key African countries is surging — Nigeria alone had over 107 million internet users as of February 2025 — most of the digital infrastructure remains externally owned. Data is collected, processed, monetised, and used to train artificial-intelligence systems that rarely reflect or benefit the regions from which the data originates.
https://t.co/aAdZLhIeGg
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] The new digital middle class: How technology is rebuilding economic hope in Africa
Africa is undergoing a profound socioeconomic shift driven by rapid digital adoption. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, more than 60% under the age of 25, and over 570 million mobile internet users, the continent is experiencing one of the fastest rates of digital transformation in the world. By 2030, Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach over $180 billion, powered by connectivity expansion, fintech innovation, remote work, and a fast-growing technology talent base.
Within this transformation, a new socioeconomic group is emerging—the Digital Middle Class. Unlike the traditional middle class defined by stable salaried employment, this class is shaped by digital capability, online income generation, remote access to global markets, and technology-enabled financial inclusion. From freelance developers in Lagos to online merchants in Nairobi and mobile-money-driven micro-entrepreneurs in Accra, this new class is redefining what economic mobility looks like on the continent.
https://t.co/qsKR2L3FnS
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] Learning from the world’s second largest economy: What China’s SME innovation journey means for Africa | TheCable https://t.co/xOdNwP1YKI
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] Digital trust and data sovereignty in Africa: Building systems Africans can believe in | TheCable https://t.co/2O5PrUR58r
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] Rebuilding trust in Nigeria: The role of technology, education, and ethical leadership | TheCable https://t.co/f3uUPF0zNn
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] The future of therapy is now: How the Metaverse and blockchain are changing healthcare and physical rehabilitation | TheCable https://t.co/UhdlFn1lwj
[TECH TIME WITH OLUFEMI ARIYO] Mental wealth, not just health: Redesigning work, learning, and purpose in the digital age | TheCable https://t.co/z5mqacjLAG