South Africa’s role in reshaping global governance

THE recent BRICS declaration on artificial intelligence marks a critical shift in the global digital agenda. In their joint statement, BRICS leaders reaffirmed each nation’s sovereign right to develop and govern digital technologies, particularly AI, in alignment with domestic priorities and legal frameworks.

- PROFESSOR ELDRID JORDAAN

They called for strengthened capacity-building, robust data governance, and technological autonomy, stating: “We firmly support the right of all countries to harness the benefits of the digital economy... to develop capacities in AI research, foster technological autonomy and innovation, ensure data protection, and promote their own digital economy.’

This affirmation is welcome and timely. Yet, in the face of growing digital inequality, platform gatekeeping, and regulatory imbalance, should we not be thinking about how to move beyond high-level diplomacy toward more tangible, enforceable measures? Perhaps the time has come to complement vision with action and to consider what digital justice might truly look like in practice.

Across the Global South, from township entrepreneurs in South Africa to fintech innovators in Latin America, startup ecosystems remain stifled by structural imbalances in the digital economy. The current rules of engagement, largely dictated by dominant platform companies, are neither inclusive nor equitable. As a member of the SU20 Foundation and Alliance Task Force, I believe we must now reimagine global digital governance through a justice lens. This means embedding fairness, inclusion, and startup-led innovation at the core of every digital transformation policy and programme.