Sixty-six years ago, on the eve of independence, Niger’s first African government council was led by the Sawaba party and its Prime Minister was a charismatic decolonial trade unionist called Djibo Bakary. Sawaba was then overthrown in 1958 by France in Africa’s first coup. Few know about the Sawaba party, its leader Djibo Bakary and the struggle in the 1960s for Niger’s true liberation.  For ROAPE, Sahidi Bilan and Rob Lemkin bring the hidden history of Niger’s fight for real liberation to life.

We are told that Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to be a powerful tool for advancing democratic concerns and human rights across Africa. Yet, there are also early indicators that AI could undermine democratic institutions and processes, especially if these technologies prioritise colonial-capitalist development trajectories. Scott Timcke looks at some of the issues at stake.