By Prof. Zhang Yanqiu, Wu Di, PhD Candidate
Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of the global order at an unprecedented pace. From economic productivity to national security, from social governance to cultural expression, no country can afford to remain on the sidelines of this technological revolution. Yet as AI accelerates its penetration into every corner of human life, a profound governance challenge looms large: Who gets to set the rules? For a long time, the answer has been a small club of technologically advanced nations, leaving the vast majority of the world, particularly the Global South, as passive consumers rather than active architects of the digital future.
On July 16, 2026, a historic step was taken in Shanghai. As a landmark outcome of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026, the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was officially signed. Twenty-nine nations gathered to inaugurate the world’s first intergovernmental organization dedicated exclusively to AI governance, with its permanent headquarters located in Shanghai. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing ceremony, emphasizing that open-source development represents a critical pathway toward universal access to AI capabilities.
What makes WAICO particularly noteworthy is the composition of its membership. The 29 founding members span Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, with a clear majority hailing from the Global South. Africa stands out as the second-largest regional bloc, with ten founding members, South Africa, Ethiopia, Algeria, the Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, Zambia, and Cameroon, representing a level of participation virtually unheard of in any previous global technology governance mechanism. This sends an unmistakable signal: AI governance can no longer be defined behind closed doors by a handful of wealthy nations.
Africa’s elevated status at the WAICO table is not merely symbolic, it reflects a continent undergoing a genuine AI awakening. In 2024, the African Union formally adopted the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025-2030, marking a shift from fragmented national initiatives to a systematic, continent-wide approach. South Africa, the continent’s most mature digital economy, has emerged as an “AI regulatory showcase,” advancing a phased, multi-agency governance framework and elevating AI governance to a central position on the agenda of BRICS summits. Kenya, East Africa’s “Silicon Savannah,” has embedded measurable KPIs for data sovereignty, green computing power, and local models into its 2025-2030 national AI strategy, complemented by the newly launched QubitHub computing center in Nairobi.
China has been an indispensable partner in Africa’s digital ascent. Bilateral cooperation has evolved beyond traditional digital infrastructure to encompass extensive AI capacity-building—from secure data centers that safeguard African data sovereignty, to open-source large language models adapted for Swahili, Hausa, and Amharic, to systematic talent development through Luban Workshops and joint research centers. This “teaching one to fish” model embodies precisely the development-oriented approach that WAICO seeks to institutionalize.
WAICO’s significance extends far beyond the creation of yet another international body within the global landscape. Firstly, it shifts AI governance from a “Western-defined” model to one based on “joint consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits,” giving developing nations a seat at the legislative table for the first time. Secondly, it reframes the governance logic from one dominated by security anxiety to one centered on inclusive development, explicitly prioritizing capacity-building for the Global South. Additionally, it champions open-source access as a counterweight to technological blockades, ensuring that AI progress serves the many rather than the few.
For Africa, WAICO offers something tangible: an institutional gateway to capability building through the AI Capacity Building for Inclusive Development Program, which provides structured channels for funding, training, open-source models, and technology transfer. For least-developed nations like Lesotho and Mozambique, it offers an opportunity to avoid further marginalization in the AI era. Most importantly, it grants Africa a ticket to the rule-making table, transforming the continent from a passive rule-taker into an active co-drafter.
The AI tide waits for no nation. WAICO is not an endpoint but a beginning. With ten founding members, Africa has stepped into the arena not as a bystander, but as a co-crafter of the rules that will shape the intelligent future. The question once posed rhetorically, will Africa be merely a user, or a maker of rules is now being answered, one signature at a time.
Zhang Yanqiu, Professor, Deputy Dean, Institute for Community with Shared Future, Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies, Communication University of China. While Wu Di is a PhD candidate, School of International Studies, Communication University of China.
