Whose AI, Whose Power? An Afrofeminist perspective on AI
The Equity & AI Learning Series is a six-session collaborative learning initiative led by Cooperation Canada, in partnership with Salanga, created in response to the rapid adoption of AI across the non-profit and international cooperation sector.
Is AI is ready for African contexts?
Our second Equity & AI session brought participants into an exploration of whose knowledge, languages and lived realities AI centres or sidelines. Facilitated by Varaidzo Magodo-Matimba, AI + Africa Lead at the MERL Tech Initiative, Session 2 invited us to examine AI through an Afrofeminist lens, asking a question that goes far beyond tools:
Whose AI, whose power?
Together, participants explored what Made in Africa AI could look like: AI built by Africans, for Africans; designed with communities in the driver’s seat; grounded in real conditions; and focused on solving locally defined problems.
The session also opened up practical reflections on African-led AI competency frameworks, investment in African languages, donor-driven policy risks, responsible adoption, and the importance of recognizing that sometimes the most responsible choice may be not to use AI at all.
We’ve pulled together the reflections from session 2 for teams and practitioners who want to move beyond “AI adoption” and begin asking deeper questions about authorship, accountability, language, and power.
Explore the session insights here (French version below):
