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Institute of Development Studies report indicates that 11 African countries invested over US$ 2 billion in monitoring with artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and tracking, while the absence of specific laws and independent oversight raises concerns about abuses and privacy violations
Eleven African countries have collectively spent over US$ 2 billion to install monitoring systems with artificial intelligence in public spaces, according to an analysis by the Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom.
The expansion of these tools occurs with Chinese technology and funding and largely progresses without specific legislation to limit use, establish independent oversight, or ensure redress for citizens in cases of abuse.
The survey indicates that the adopted systems include facial recognition, used to identify individuals by their faces, and automatic license plate reading of vehicles. These features have been incorporated into large-scale video surveillance structures, with a growing presence in different countries across the continent.
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The analysis identifies the recurring involvement of Chinese companies and banks behind these networks. In this scenario, the advancement of monitoring is not limited to the purchase of cameras but also depends on telecommunications infrastructure, external financing, and contracts associated with the maintenance of the systems.
Large-scale monitoring with Chinese technology and credit
According to the study, Huawei and ZTE built approximately 70% of the 4G network on the African continent. This technical foundation is deemed essential for the operation of surveillance devices deployed in public areas.
In addition to infrastructure, Chinese private banks also finance the construction and maintenance of systems known as “safe cities.” According to the analysis, these loans would be conditioned on the purchase of Chinese technology and services, reinforcing the technological and financial dependency of the involved countries.
The eleven countries identified in the report are Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Among them, Nigeria leads in investments, with US$ 470 million, and also has the largest network of smart cameras among the cases studied.
The study highlights that the growth of monitoring in Africa has been driven by a combination of ready technological supply, credit for deployment, and the expansion of mobile networks.
As a result, the systems are consolidating not only as isolated tools but as part of a broad structure of control and observation in public spaces.
Lack of rules and absence of redress mechanisms
The analysis by the Institute of Development Studies states that none of the eleven studied countries offers citizens a mechanism to seek redress in cases of errors or abuses related to these systems. There is also, according to the survey, no specific legislation defining the limits of the use of these surveillance technologies.
The report argues that there is a lack of a legal framework capable of establishing who can conduct monitoring, under what circumstances, and under what type of control. Similarly, there is no independent body in the analyzed countries responsible for overseeing the application of these tools.
According to the researchers, this absence of legal safeguards turns technological expansion into a rights issue. The analysis states that, in the absence of proven terrorist or criminal threats, widespread surveillance represents a violation of citizens’ right to privacy.
The study also emphasizes that the implementation of the systems is advancing on a large scale without governments having defined clear parameters of accountability. In this context, the population remains subjected to identification and tracking tools without minimal guarantees of external control or contestation.
Documented cases and concern about political use
Abuses related to these technologies, according to the report, have already been documented in some countries. In Uganda, facial recognition was used to monitor activists, while in Kenya, these tools were used during the Generation Z protests in 2026.
The analysis also informs that over 60 countries worldwide use surveillance systems based on Chinese artificial intelligence. This data broadens the scope of the debate and reinforces experts’ concerns about the possible political and social effects of using these technologies.
Among the main concerns raised is the use of these systems against journalists and political opponents. For the cited experts, the expansion of monitoring without clear rules can transform security instruments into mechanisms of control over critical groups to governments.
The report associates this risk with the absence of judicial oversight and independent oversight bodies. Without these barriers, the application of the tools tends to remain concentrated in the hands of public power, with little room for institutional contestation.
Recommendations to curb abuses
In light of this situation, researchers from the IDS advocate for urgent measures to be adopted by African governments. The main recommendation is the creation of specific legislation regarding surveillance in public spaces.
According to the study, this legislation should define which actors are authorized to conduct monitoring, under what conditions, and under judicial supervision. The researchers also advocate for the establishment of an independent oversight body to monitor the functioning of these systems.
The recommendations are directed at the eleven countries analyzed in the report but are not limited to them. The alert also extends to other states that are adopting similar technologies without adequate protection mechanisms and safeguards.
The analysis concludes that the issue has ceased to be merely technological and has begun to involve political choices regarding the implementation of these systems. In this scenario, the tension between public safety and fundamental freedoms appears as a central axis of the debate, especially in weaker institutional contexts, where the cost falls on citizens.
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