{"id":2000122281,"date":"2026-08-12T18:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000122281"},"modified":"2026-08-12T18:33:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:33:03","slug":"african-states-urged-to-invest-in-autonomous-systems-as-security-threats-evolve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/african-states-urged-to-invest-in-autonomous-systems-as-security-threats-evolve\/","title":{"rendered":"African states urged to invest in autonomous systems as security threats evolve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Held under the theme \u201cThe Rise of Autonomous Systems: Implications for Defence and Security in Africa,\u201d<\/strong> the discussion brought together more than 300 delegates from 50 countries to examine how artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are changing warfare, border security and national defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening the discussion, ISCA Executive Director Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Frank Mushyo Kamanzi noted that advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous aerial, maritime and ground systems are already reshaping warfare, border security, peace support operations and national defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He highlighted their potential to strengthen intelligence gathering, border surveillance, maritime security and protection of critical infrastructure, while raising concerns about human oversight, accountability and possible misuse by non-state actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese questions demand collective leadership and cooperation,\u201d Kamanzi maintained, urging African governments, regional organisations, research institutions, industry and international partners to develop policies and capabilities suited to the continent\u2019s security priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The discussion brought together more than 300 delegates from 50 countries to examine how artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are changing warfare, border security and national defence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe warned that artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are becoming increasingly accessible, including to non-state actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfrica cannot afford to fall behind as these technologies continue to evolve,\u201d Nduhungirehe cautioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for greater investment in African skills, institutions and technological capacity while stressing the implications of autonomous systems for sovereignty and strategic autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Minister Nduhungirehe called for greater investment in African skills, institutions and technological capacity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mali\u2019s experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mali\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Abdoulaye Diop placed the debate within the broader question of sovereignty and Africa\u2019s ability to provide for its own defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mali, he noted, faces terrorism, separatism, inter-community conflicts and other threats across a territory of about 1.2 million square kilometres bordered by seven countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diop explained that drones and other autonomous technologies have consequently become an increasingly important part of Mali\u2019s security architecture. Mali, he indicated, had almost no drones five years ago but now has dozens, approaching hundreds, operated by Malian defence and security personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stressed that training and technology transfer are essential if African countries are to avoid replacing one form of dependence with another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a bit like cutting the logic of dependence,\u201d he remarked, describing Mali\u2019s efforts to strengthen its own defence capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Minister Diop revealed that drones and other autonomous technologies have consequently become an increasingly important part of Mali\u2019s security architecture. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mali has incorporated training and technology transfer into defence agreements and established a national artificial intelligence centre where young people receive training for applications in defence, medicine, energy and other sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Diop also warned that autonomous technologies are increasingly available to terrorist groups, adding another layer to asymmetric threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not only in an asymmetrical war, but the autonomous system also brings a level of asymmetry that competes with the state,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From consumers to technology builders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Col. Patrick Nyirishema, Head of Defence Research and Development at the Rwanda Defence Force, argued that autonomous systems are changing the traditional understanding of military power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor centuries, military power was determined by who had more soldiers… But we’ve entered an era where machines can see. Machines can analyse. Machines can make decisions. And machines can act with diminishing human intervention,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Col. Patrick Nyirishema, Head of Defence Research and Development at the Rwanda Defence Force, argued that autonomous systems are changing the traditional understanding of military power.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

African countries now face a choice between remaining consumers of emerging technologies or investing in capabilities that allow them to shape them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question is whether Africa can position itself so that this rise of autonomous systems and other related technologies and capabilities can be converted into a strategic advantage. Or whether it becomes a strategic vulnerability,\u201d Nyirishema remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He placed particular emphasis on talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the starting point is talent. Build talent. Build talent,\u201d he stressed, calling for national technology ecosystems in which young people can experiment, innovate and develop dual-use applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such technologies, he noted, could support border surveillance, cross-border crime prevention, agriculture and other civilian activities in addition to defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Panellists during a discussion focused on Africa\u2019s evolving security environment in autonomous defence and security systems<\/strong>.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buratai praises Rwanda, urges African defence fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Tukur Yusuf Buratai linked autonomous systems to the wider questions of governance, independence and indigenous technological capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buratai praised Rwanda for its leadership in advancing African defence and security solutions, recalling his participation in the country\u2019s Armed Forces Commanders Conference the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Rwandan government has been in the forefront with projecting African defence and security solutions,\u201d he noted, describing Rwanda\u2019s approach as evidence of leadership and commitment to African security knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Tukur Yusuf Buratai linked autonomous systems to the wider questions of governance, independence and indigenous technological capacity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He argued that autonomous systems must be considered at the strategic level rather than simply as tactical military equipment, while emphasising the importance of indigenous technology and investment in Africa\u2019s young innovators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buratai also called for a dedicated African defence fund to help the continent respond to existing and emerging security threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding, he maintained, has been a longstanding challenge for the African Union and regional organisations, with external financing sometimes influencing African security priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further linked security to governance and socio-economic development, noting from Nigeria\u2019s experience that counter-insurgency efforts must be accompanied by measures addressing unemployment, education and other conditions that contribute to insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology must fit African realities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moise Busogi, an Assistant Teaching Professor at CMU-Africa, cautioned that technologies developed elsewhere cannot automatically be expected to perform effectively in African environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany of these technologies are global, but usually the environment is very local,\u201d Busogi noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Moise Busogi, an Assistant Teaching Professor at CMU-Africa, argued that technologies developed elsewhere cannot automatically be expected to perform effectively in African environments.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Drawing from his work in computer vision, he explained that AI models can perform differently when moved from one environment to another, making local expertise and contextualisation essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also encouraged African institutions to give locally developed technologies greater opportunities to mature, arguing that African innovation cannot grow if funding and confidence consistently favour foreign products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rethinking doctrine and strategic autonomy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Paul-Simon Handy, Regional Director for East Africa and Representative to the African Union at the Institute for Security Studies, argued that autonomous systems should not simply be inserted into existing military structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdopting this technology is not just a matter of automating existing doctrines,\u201d Handy maintained. \u201cActually, we should rethink doctrines in light of this development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

African states, he argued, need to identify the security problems they are trying to solve, determine which decisions can legitimately be delegated to machines and establish where meaningful human control must remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handy also cautioned that countries should prepare to defend themselves against autonomous systems, not merely acquire them. A country that obtains drones without investing in counter-capabilities, he observed, may become more technologically equipped without necessarily becoming more secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for stronger regional cooperation, noting that no single African country can develop every component required for autonomous technologies. Strategic autonomy, he argued, does not mean manufacturing everything domestically but retaining sufficient knowledge, capacity and political freedom to understand and sustain critical systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autonomy cannot simply be bought<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Col. (Rtd) David Kanamugire, CEO of Rwanda\u2019s National Cyber Security Authority, warned against treating autonomous capability as a procurement exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t look at autonomy as a procurement problem. You can\u2019t buy autonomy. That\u2019s not possible,\u201d Kanamugire stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Col. (Rtd) David Kanamugire, CEO of Rwanda\u2019s National Cyber Security Authority, speaks during the second panel discussion, which focused on \u201cAfrica\u2019s Strategic Response: Adaptation, Governance, and Development of Strategic Capabilities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He identified data, computing power, talent and adaptable institutions as the foundations of genuine autonomous capability. Countries, he argued, need the ability to control and understand the wider technology stack, including sensors, communications and protection against cyber and electronic threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions underscored that autonomous systems present Africa with both an opportunity and a growing security challenge. While they could strengthen surveillance, intelligence, border management, agriculture and other civilian services, they are also becoming accessible to non-state actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the panellists, the central question is no longer whether autonomous technologies will transform African security, but whether African states will develop the talent, institutions, infrastructure and strategic cooperation required to shape that transformation on their own terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Rwanda\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe warned that artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are becoming increasingly accessible, including to non-state actors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The event brought together more than 300 delegates from 50 countries to examine how artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are changing warfare, border security and national defence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Rwanda Defence Force, General Mubarakh Muganga, follows the discussions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Felix Namuhoranye also attended the event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Rwanda’s Minister of Defence<\/strong>, Juvenal Marizamunda, follows the discussions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Rwanda’s Minister of Interior<\/strong>, Dr. Vincent Biruta, attended the event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

African states must invest in autonomous systems, local expertise and institutions capable of developing and governing emerging technologies as security threats evolve across the continent, defence and security experts urged at the International Security Conference on Africa (ISCA) High-Level Discussion in Kigali.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000122293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000122281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000122293,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1500,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/054A0307new-pick.jpg","width":1500,"height":1000}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000122281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000122281"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000122281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000122328,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000122281\/revisions\/2000122328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000122293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000122281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000122281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000122281"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000122281"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000122281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}