Africa’s financial services sector is entering a new era of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI), as the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) on the continent evolves to boost economic growth.
This was the word from Lavina Ramkissoon, ambassador representing the African Union for the East, North and South of the continent, speaking last week during the Financial Sector Conduct Authority Conference 2026.
As AI rapidly evolves beyond current frameworks, Africa faces a narrowing window to define its role in what could become a radically different global economic order, she said.
Ramkissoon co-chairs the African Union’s Science, Research, Technology and Innovation Council and leads its “sixth region” diaspora portfolio.
As the world enters a new frontier of AI – which is AGI and ASI – Africa must not be caught off guard, she warned.
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AGI refers to AI that matches human intelligence, capable of learning, reasoning and applying knowledge across diverse domains, while ASI is a theoretical, future AI that surpasses human intelligence across all fields.
Ramkissoon cautioned the global AI trajectory is already shifting beyond human and machine collaboration toward far more advanced forms of intelligence.
“In my opinion, we’ve quickly moved away from human agency, we’ve moved away from AI agency, and we’re getting into a space where we’re going to see AGI unfold − but not really know that it’s unfolding.”
She noted that this transition could be subtle at first, with only limited signals before a more dramatic leap.
“There’s going to be one or two key signs… and then all of a sudden, we’re going to wake up and see ASI around in terms of superintelligence.”
This progression, she suggested, raises fundamental questions about control and governance.
Rather than focusing purely on technological capability, Ramkissoon argued that societies must confront how much decision-making power they are willing to relinquish.
“From a human perspective, we’re going to have to dig deep in terms of understanding where to next and what sort of control we are willing to give away or negotiate going forward.”
Beyond the technological shift, she emphasised that Africa’s response must be grounded in structural readiness. Responsible AI at scale, she said, depends on three core pillars: infrastructure, computational capacity and a broader understanding of intelligence itself.
On infrastructure, Ramkissoon highlighted the need for interoperability rather than isolated systems, noting that Africa’s financial and digital ecosystems remain fragmented.
“For some reason, we haven’t been able to orchestrate it in a unified manner. This is probably our last opportunity to utilise AI to gauge that.”
She also challenged assumptions around compute capacity, arguing that the continent does not yet require widespread investment in large-scale data centres.
“Our utilisation of AI isn’t at that capacity yet. Running things like language models or robo-advisors are still relatively menial when we talk about the larger capacity required.”
More fundamentally, Ramkissoon pointed to a shift in how intelligence itself is defined and used in the digital economy.
“Intelligence is intelligence. Distinctions between human and artificial intelligence are becoming less relevant as the two increasingly converge.”
This shift is already reshaping economic thinking. Ramkissoon described the emergence of what she called a “new age economy”, where traditional drivers are being replaced.
“It no longer functions on the cost of capital, but is moving towards the cost of energy, the cost of data and the cost of intelligence.”
She also pointed to growing divergence in how global technology players are approaching AI, with some pushing for rapid expansion of capabilities, while others advocate for constraint.
Within the African continent, more than 60% of countries had adopted some form of AI policy or regulatory framework as of 18 months ago, with different regions beginning to take distinct approaches.
However, the continent risks falling behind if it fails to articulate a unified vision and take advantage of the full potential of AI, she stated.
“As much as we understand the opportunity, what are we actually tangibly doing on the ground to unlock that?” she asked, pointing to persistent challenges such as unemployment and low economic growth.
While AI is already reshaping labour markets globally, Ramkissoon cautioned against framing the issue purely in terms of job losses.
“We focus on fear more than optimism. AI is creating jobs and removing jobs at the same time.”
Instead, she called for a broader, long-term perspective that moves beyond short-term disruption toward strategic positioning.
“We really need to zone out and have a macro view. Without that, Africa risks missing a critical moment in shaping its digital and economic future as AI capabilities accelerate toward increasingly autonomous and potentially uncontrollable systems.”
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