NAIROBI, Kenya – As the continent looks to lessen its reliance on foreign funding and stop the uncontrolled deployment of technology, leaders at the Africa Soft Power Summit 2025 advocated for increased economic self-determination and tighter artificial intelligence regulation.
The fourth iteration of the two-day summit, which took place from May 22–23, brought together innovators, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders from South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and other African countries to discuss issues related to technology development, investment, and leadership.
The majority of African startup funding decision-makers are still outside the continent, which limits the ecosystem’s potential, according to Edwin Macharia, co-founder of Axum.Earth and a board member of Mozilla.
“Our future depends on economic nationalism, investing in our asset classes to create wealth here, across borders, and claim our rightful place in the global economy,” Macharia said.
He emphasised the lack of pension funds and institutional investors in Africa’s capital markets and revealed intentions to investigate how local leadership affects fund performance. Macharia also advocated combining disparate assets and creating billion-dollar companies based on collaboration rather than reliance on outside funding.
What was the opening theme of the summit
Policy leaders cautioned against letting Africa serve as a testing ground for uncontrolled biotech and artificial intelligence goods.
Policy advocate Dr. Saitina called for the creation of strong frameworks that differentiate genuine AI innovation from marketing jargon. Regarding successful regulatory actions taken by the countries of Nigeria and Uganda against multinational tech platforms, the panel on “AI Models, Sovereignty, and Democratising Access” emphasised the need for policy autonomy in the global digital world.
Nigeria’s Central Bank’s Director General of Financial System Stability, Philip Ikeazor, stressed that anti-money laundering and fraud detection requirements are increasingly required, with policy driving these initiatives while AI supports them.
The opening theme of the summit, presented by the Remarkable Africa Women Leadership Conference, was “Sustaining Momentum: Leading Transformations When Inclusion Isn’t Trending.”
The Africa Soft Power Group’s founder, Dr. Nkiru Balonwu, said: “We must acknowledge the same worth that different viewpoints contribute. Being included is an investment in oneself.”
Why men should mentor female leaders
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo Mabona and Chief Justice Martha Koome emphasised the necessity of systemic change and intentional accountability to get from words to quantifiable action.
With speakers emphasising the role of men in mentoring female leaders to create long-lasting pipelines of gender equity, the event focused on moving the conversation surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion from charitable giving to strategic investment.
Without dependable power grids, cybersecurity, and regulatory frameworks, innovation cannot flourish on its own, according to panellists from the “Policy and Innovation: The Role of Infrastructure in Advancing Emerging Financial Technologies” event.
Inadequate infrastructure raises operating costs and hinders financial inclusion, according to representatives from the MasterCard Foundation, Caretel Africa, and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System. While warning about biases in AI systems, Bernard M. Kinara, General Manager of Interswitch Kenya, emphasised how AI may democratise access through natural language coding tools that transcend linguistic and gender barriers.
What did CJ Martha Koome say at the summit
CJ Koome highlighted a cultural shift in legal empowerment as he explained how Kenyan courts have changed from adversarial forums to empowering mediation settings.
“As the largest political voting majority on the continent, African women possess diffused community power that is crucial for effective gender inclusion tactics,” said CJ Koome.
An executive from Caretel described how AI systems already catch scam mail in real time, highlighting the need for trust in the use of digital technology. But there are still issues with inadequate data security and low digital literacy, which legislation needs to solve.
The AI governance panel advocated for customised educational techniques to guarantee that AI tools address real-world issues for farmers, creatives, and public workers, emphasising AI literacy for policymakers and the general public. The dichotomy of growing public scepticism and awareness of AI, according to a techie, highlights the necessity of open, reliable AI systems.
Leaders, innovators, and creatives from all across the continent came together for the Africa Soft Power Summit 2025 to discuss issues related to infrastructure, technological advancement, and leadership.
Participants demanded frameworks that give African economic sovereignty and decision-making first priority.
Artificial intelligence, digital finance, and infrastructure were all discussed, but the overarching topic was shifting away from reliance on outside sources and towards locally driven, sustainable growth models.
