INTRODUCING THE DATA ECONOMY POLICY HUB

/ By Shamira Ahmed /

Who are you ?

My name is Shamira Ahmed, I am the executive director of the Data Economy Policy Hub (DepHUB), the first data economy policy, digital development, and artificial intelligence (AI) governance think-tank founded by an indigenous African woman in South Africa.

I have a quantitative development economics academic background and a proven track record of working on transdisciplinary research projects on data economy policy, AI for development (AI4D), and providing technical assistance to policymakers and regulators in SSA, including through co-authorship of continental public policy outputs such as the African Union (AU) Commission's Data Policy Framework and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) on the Digital Economy and Society, to name a few.

I have over a decade of combined practical experience working as a trade, industrialization, investment, and economic advisor, development researcher, and quantitative economist in the public policy and policy implementation ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Global Majority, which includes working for the South African (SA) government, a think tank, and an international development assistance organisation.

I also have experience working in the private sector as a researcher for one of the world’s largest leading data, insights and consulting companies, so I understand how incentives and collaboration are crucial to create public-private partnerships, for developing sustainable and inclusive innovation ecosystems, in SSA.

I am also the founder of the AI for Circularity Exchange (AI4CE), a platform launched to promote open debate and interdisciplinary perspectives on the potential and risks of data and AI, to enhance pathways for a just green-digital “twintransition” through leveraging the circular economy model (CEM).

Both initiatives focus on developing public-policy-oriented advocacy and rigorous research with an aim to promote human-centred, data-driven digital development and responsible AI governance in SSA.

What is The Data Economy Policy Hub (DepHUB)

The DepHUB is a think-tank that offers tailor-made public interest research and advisory services for sustainable and inclusive digital development (holistic economic regulation, data management, data economy policy, public data value creation, artificial intelligence (AI) governance., and inclusive digital transformation).

Our services include rigorous research on the techno-social-political nexus of complex dynamic digital ecosystems in SSA.

We offer capacity building, and tailormade support for grass-roots communities, businesses, governments, regulators, and international development assistance organisations, in SSA and beyond.

We fill a strategic gap by providing research to policy support, through rigorous digital development and public policyoriented market research, grounded in empirical evidence, socioeconomic theory, sociocybernetics, innovation policy, and sustainable economic development, to name a few.

Why did you start the DepHub?

I developed the DepHUB for four main reasons:

i. I have the skills and technical expertise to contribute to the policymaking and knowledge-generation ecosystem on transnational responsible AI governance, data economy policy, and digital development research. I have practical experience as a data steward in the private and public sectors. I am an experienced quantitative economist, industrial development researcher, and interdisciplinary policy specialist with a track record of leading multi-country SSA research projects, producing high-quality outputs, managing the data lifecycle, and working in multicultural, multidisciplinary, and dynamic work environments.

ii. Similar to other Science Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related ecosystems, there is no diversity in STEM think tank leadership and the overall knowledge and policy ecosystem in South Africa (SA). Certain policy areas such as trade, science technology and innovation (STI), and industrialisation are saturated with decision makers and policy advisors who do not capture the diversity of South Africa. A lot more needs to be done to engender more diverse stakeholders to have a seat at the high table. My point is that indigenous African women are often kept out and not funded to lead policy oriented research in key policy areas that are seen as complex, technical issues, despite having both the expertise and interest to be involved. It’s shocking that I am the first indigenous African woman who is an independent think tank founder, in SA- let alone leading transdisciplinary policy oriented research on data economy policy, AI governance, and digital development.

iii. There is limited African-led research that captures the multidimensional aspects of AI governance, data economy policy, and digital development. The DepHUB will fill this gap by offering a platform for researchers and practitioners to actively collaborate, spur research, and impact transnational data economy policies.

iv. On the AI4CE front, to the best of my knowledge, there are no platforms to share information on how the just green- digital twin transition could be applied in an African context, including risks of adopting Global North AI and circular economy models that do not capture the stark contrasts and realities of SSA and the general Global Majority.

What is the core focus of the DepHub?

The DepHUB's focus includes providing rigorous public-interest research to inform policies. Our research is intended to highlight the multidimensional aspects of the datadriven digital economy. Our research is grounded in ensuring data justice in public policy decision making, and contributing to a repository of just knowledge production, for transformative public policy research and participatory policy-making. We aim to influence public policies that enable humancentred data-driven digital trade, sustainable industrialisation, an equitable pan-African digital single market, and inclusive AI-based digital development in SSA.

What are big challenges you are aiming to solve?

The challenges associated with AI, digitalisation, and data-driven digital economy are not limited to information and communication technologies (ICT) issues or STEM, they are classic economic development challenges, that require interdisciplinary solutions.

As a trained quantitative development economist, who worked in both the public sector and private sector as a data practitioner and has practical expertise in transnational policy formulation and implementation, I saw a lot of gaps in the way public policy and advocacy on the data economy, AI governance, and digital development was formulated. In Africa, most of the narratives about data, AI, ethics, and public policy are from a privacy and security lens and are often led by professionals who have no experience working in the African public sector and/or working with economic development and/or public data value creation. We need more data economy policy and AI governance experts who are qualified with the technical skills to understand public data value creation and have policy expertise in our governments to give well informed, practical digital development, AI governance, and data economy policy advice, that considers SSA’s contextual realities.

How is Africa fairing with the rest of the world?

There are a lot of overlapping structural economic deficits that hinders deployment of trustworthy and beneficial AI at scale in Africa. For example, as the continent with the most late internet adopters, lowest number of innovators, and industrialisers, Africa has not achieved critical infrastructure prerequisites and network effects to effectively deploy AI as envisioned in many African country’s digital transformation and STI strategies. Yes, there are pockets of excellence and inspiring use-cases, but for the most part the continent is falling behind in the multidimensional global AI race, we have limited human capital and operate from a position of relative weakness in transnational AI governance, data governance, participation in semi-conductor value chains, to name a few.

The situation is dire and unless there is concerted efforts from our governments and support from the multilateral system, to revamp institutions, political leadership and dynamic public sector capabilities to create contextually relevant responsible AI deployments (which require so many crosscutting enablers and prerequisites), the uneven status quo will continue or even worsen as most AI is not designed for improving African innovation ecosystems.

Which countries in Africa are leading in AI policy?

None, that I could say are “leading” as this space is dynamic, the global AI policy space is multidimensional and evolving faster than many SSA countries can regulate or create interventions to mitigate risks and harms.

Also, SSA has a weak position and/or are not represented in many global multilateral platforms on the data economy, ICT infrastructure, and AI governance.

How can people reach you?

You can contact me via email at sahmed@africa-digital.org