At least 11 African governments have spent over $2 billion on Chinese-built AI surveillance systems that threaten privacy rights and civic freedoms, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies.
The study maps the rapid rollout of facial recognition, biometric tracking and CCTV networks sold as tools to modernize cities and curb crime. Instead, researchers from the African Digital Rights Network warn these technologies enable mass monitoring of activists, protesters and journalists with little oversight or evidence of public safety gains.
“This large-scale, invasive AI surveillance is not ‘legal, necessary or proportionate’ to security aims,” said Wairagala Wakabi, executive director of CIPESA and co-author. “It’s the latest tool governments use to invade privacy and stifle expression.”
Nigeria invested the most at $470 million for 10,000 smart cameras, followed by Egypt (6,000 cameras), Algeria and Uganda (5,000 each). The 11 countries averaged $240 million apiece, often funded by Chinese loans.
Packages typically bundle CCTV, vehicle tracking and biometric data collection. Yet the report finds no clear link to reduced crime rates, while documented cases show surveillance targeting dissent.
In Uganda, facial recognition has tracked activists; in Kenya, systems aided crackdowns on Gen Z-led protests. Bulelani Jili of Georgetown University warned that even new laws could legitimize abuse: “The challenge is negotiating security against civil liberties once these tools are institutionalized.”
Algerian researcher Yosr Jouini noted “smart city” promises morphed into security tools, creating a chilling effect on protests that drove 2019-2021 reforms. “People hesitate to gather publicly, fearing arrest via cameras.”
Experts call for data governance frameworks prioritizing human rights over unchecked state power as surveillance embeds deeper across the continent.
