In 2025, and all throughout 2026, governments across Africa and the US are integrating AI into public services, surveillance systems, and digital infrastructure, as policymakers, tech companies, and regulators shape control, procurement rules, and governance across expanding the AI era deployments.
As governments use AI, they are scrutinized on control, accountability, and dependency. Across Africa, AI systems are entering public services through procurement deals and global partnerships, while US lawmakers are debating surveillance powers under Section 702 and the risks of AI-driven data analysis.
Section 702 is a provision of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that allows intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign individuals located outside the US, often through data obtained from American tech companies, under court-approved surveillance programs.
At the same time, industry forecasts show governments increasingly rely on AI agents to automate decisions, improve efficiency, and reshape how public services are delivered globally driving policy changes fast today.
Procurement, Partnerships and Control in Africa’s AI Rollout
Government AI adoption across Africa is beginning to adapt to public services, but a central question remains unresolved. Who controls these systems once they are deployed?
The governance risk is operational rather than theoretical, because systems that meet procurement rules may still be difficult for governments to monitor, stop, or fully understand once integrated into workflows.
Procurement is therefore more than purchasing software, but a defining element in relationships between governments and vendors, including access, infrastructure dependencies, and system updates that may occur outside government visibility.
AI helps governments work faster, cut costs, and improve services, while giving better data for decisions, which is why many governments prefer using AI in daily operations today.
In partnership with Visa Africa, Kredete is advancing stablecoin-backed card innovation across Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council, highlighting how financial technology is expanding alongside AI infrastructure.
Microsoft announced a $327 million USD (ZAR 5.4 billion) investment in South Africa’s cloud and AI infrastructure, while the African Union Commission and Google signed a partnership to advance AI sovereignty capacity across the continent.
AI Surveillance, FISA Debate and Privacy Fears
In the US, lawmakers are debating how the AI era could amplify government surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless access to certain communications involving foreign intelligence targets.
“Imagine instead of doing a query with one person that you turned AI loose on these databases,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Thursday at a press conference announcing a new bill to close data collection loopholes.
“Government officials have searched through 702 data to find Black Lives Matter protesters, political campaign donors, elected officials, even a state judge who complained about police abuses.”
Experts warn that AI systems could turn surveillance databases into large-scale pattern detection tools, increasing risks to privacy and civil liberties.
Gartner forecasts that 80% of governments will deploy AI agents to automate decision making by 2028, while 70% will require explainable AI and human in the loop systems by 2029.
A bipartisan coalition in the US is pushing reforms to FISA Section 702, arguing that new rules are needed as AI era increases the scale and speed of data analysis across intelligence systems.
Across both the US and Africa, the central issue is shifting from whether AI adoption should be how much control governments retain once these systems become embedded in public infrastructure.
Procurement decisions now define long-term dependency, determining who can access systems, who maintains them, and whether governments can intervene if risks change. As AI systems become more integrated, workflows, data flows, and public services increasingly reorganize external infrastructure, making exit or replacement significantly harder over time.
This is why procurement is emerging as one of the most important governance tools available, especially in regions where regulatory frameworks are still evolving.
It allows governments to set conditions on access, auditability, and support before systems are deployed, shaping how authority operates inside AI-driven environments. If these conditions are not established early, the governance risk becomes dependent on systems they cannot fully modify or exit without disruption to services.
Governance in the AI era will be defined not only by laws, but by the technical and contractual choices made at the point of procurement. That moment determines whether AI strengthens public control or shifts it toward external dependency over time.
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