In an increasingly complex, hyper-competitive, and often brutal world, it is imperative that Africa masters the tools of the future to secure its sovereignty and prosperity. At the heart of this transformation lies augmented competitive intelligence, a field I have dedicated myself to for the past fifteen years. My expertise, combined with the strategic vision of the African Centre for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI), is essential to empower Africa’s public and private sectors to become more competitive.
On the 22nd of April 2025, I was honoured to deliver a keynote address at the second Cameroonian Artificial Intelligence Days, held at the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé at the invitation of the Cameroonian Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. My goal was clear: to highlight the vital link between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Competitive Intelligence (CI), and to frame this partnership as a powerful strategic advantage. As the editor of a collaborative book published in 2024 on how AI can boost the performance of Africa’s public and private sectors, I structured my presentation around three core pillars.
AI as a Catalyst for High-Value Competitive Intelligence
First, I showed how AI allows competitive intelligence to evolve into augmented competitive intelligence, capable of producing high-value insights at speed. In an environment where information is abundant but relevant intelligence is scarce, AI offers unparalleled capabilities for analysis, processing, and prediction. Using sophisticated algorithms, machine learning, and natural language processing, the ACCI, under my guidance, is developing methods to turn masses of raw data into actionable strategic insights. This approach enables our African decision-makers, both in government and in the private sector, to better anticipate threats, identify opportunities, and optimise their strategies in an era of global economic warfare.
The Imperative of an African AI: By Africans, for Africa
My speech then underscored the urgent need to build an African AI—by Africans, for Africa—powered by a wealth of high-quality, relevant data. This is not about passively adopting foreign technologies, but about creatively and sovereignly shaping AI to fit the specific realities, challenges, and opportunities of our continent. At the ACCI, we champion an approach that fosters homegrown innovation, develops local talent, and establishes robust technological infrastructures. A truly African AI will not only safeguard the continent’s data and strategic interests but will also empower us to build solutions tailored to our unique challenges, from sustainable development and food security to natural resource management.
Cameroon, a Future African Power: The Vision of ‘Power 237’
Finally, I connected Cameroon’s current efforts in AI to the bold vision of my recent book, “Power 237”. This visionary yet pragmatic work lays out a roadmap for Cameroon to become the continent’s leading power by 2050, driven primarily by the strategic and measurable application of AI. In my view, Cameroon can serve as a model for the entire continent, proving that strong technological and economic ambition, backed by augmented competitive intelligence, is the key to transformation and growth. Investment in AI, training our youth, and integrating these technologies into public policy and business strategy are all key levers for achieving this ambitious goal.
My address at the second Cameroonian Artificial Intelligence Days was more than just an analysis; it was a call to action. For the past decade, the ACCI, among other organisations, has been paving the way for an Africa firmly focused on the future—a future where augmented competitive intelligence is no longer an option, but a vital necessity for the competitiveness and sovereignty of its people and institutions.
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GG
As the world shifts into a multipolar era, marked by economic warfare (Varène, 2020) and now further intensified by the return of Donald Trump to the White House, Africa finds itself at a critical crossroads. The upcoming book The Emergencies of African Competitive Intelligence, set for release in September 2025, offers a frank diagnosis and proposes bold, disruptive solutions to confront this reality through an asymmetric strategy — one that equips the weak to challenge the strong.
Africa, often praised for its human potential and abundant natural resources, has long remained vulnerable to external dynamics. According to the African Centre for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI), the continent can no longer afford to play the role of bystander or battleground for global rivalries. The pursuit of sovereignty, autonomy, protection of vital interests, sound governance, sustainable development, and enhanced competitiveness demands a profound paradigm shift: the rise and consolidation of a distinctly African approach to competitive intelligence — developed by Africans, for the benefit of a confident and competitive Africa.
The ACCI defines competitive intelligence as “a mindset, a structure, and a coordinated process of questioning, collecting, processing, analysing and legally disseminating economic intelligence that is useful for decision-making in competitive, uncertain or hostile environments” (Gweth, 2015). For Africa, this approach is crucial — not merely as a response to threats, but as a means of building a forward-looking capacity to anticipate global trends, identify opportunities, and shape its own strategic environment.
Since its founding in 2015, the ACCI has continuously emphasised that Africa’s approach to competitive intelligence cannot be a copy of Western or Asian models. It must be built on the continent’s specific realities: its complex history, unique development challenges, cultural richness, ambitions for stronger regional integration, and its vision for a more balanced multilateralism, as articulated in the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
There are many pressing priorities. Africa must secure its supply chains against global shocks, as highlighted by the WTO’s 2023 World Trade Report. It must stem the tide of illicit financial flows that undermine its economies, a challenge identified in the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s 2020 report. Managing the transfer of technology while fostering homegrown innovation is essential, as the African Development Bank pointed out in 2024. The continent must also protect its highly sought-after natural resources, a concern underscored by the UN Environment Programme in 2022. At the same time, it must build a reputation on the global stage that reflects its true potential, as recent studies by Brand Africa suggest.
The prospect of building a strong African competitive intelligence framework relies on several key dimensions. First is the development of home-grown human and institutional capacity, through the training of experts who embrace their African identity, and the establishment of specialised structures. Ndongo Samba Sylla (2014) has notably called for Africa to develop its own expertise in response to economic dependency.
Next comes the need to build Pan-African cooperation networks and secure information-sharing platforms — a strategic objective that aligns with the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. Equally important is the integration of augmented competitive intelligence into decision-making processes at all levels of governance. The OECD has stressed the importance of embedding security considerations into economic policy since 2018. Finally, Africa must mobilise its private sector and civil society to collectively take ownership of economic security, a perspective long championed by the ACCI through its call for a holistic, inclusive approach.
Rich in documentation, case studies and practical insights, the forthcoming publication The Emergencies of African Competitive Intelligence (September 2025) sets out to demonstrate that by rising to meet these challenges, Africa can transcend its current position and emerge as a vital, influential player in the global competitive and strategic intelligence landscape.
This is not only a strategic imperative — it is a pressing necessity, if the continent is to secure its sovereignty, development, and long-term prosperity in an age increasingly shaped by economic conflict.
Guy Gweth