Alan Hirsch, research fellow and the head of the Migration Governance Reform in Africa Programme (MIGRA) at the New South Institute (NSI), was cited in Forbes Africa’s recent feature, Developing AI for Africa: Why Digital Sovereignty Matters and Who Is Leading the Charge (31 August 2025). The article examines the region’s positioning within global AI development and the imperative for locally grounded solutions.

Hirsch emphasises the importance of Africa building its own data infrastructure and standards, noting that “digital sovereignty is the holy grail”, and that progress in this area will depend on education and collective policymaking. He also draws attention to the global concentration of AI capabilities in a small number of firms based in the United States and China, underlining the structural challenges facing African states.

The full article is available via Forbes Africa.