Global Rapid Development and Sustainable Development in Africa: Ethical Dilemmas and Governance Responses

Abstract

African countries are undergoing deep structural changes shaped by what can be described as Global Rapid Development (GRD)—the fast spread of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, automation, and data-driven governance across key sectors of society. These shifts are opening new possibilities for economic diversification, wider financial access, and more modern public institutions. At the same time, they are raising difficult ethical and governance questions, especially around widening digital inequality, biased algorithms, weak data protection systems, job displacement, expanded surveillance, and the uneven strength of public institutions.