We need to reset Africa’s health algorithm

African countries must develop domestic AI infrastructure and governance frameworks to process and benefit from their own health data, rather than allowing it to be extracted and analyzed externally. The continent currently accounts for less than 1% of global data center capacity, with 70-90% of cloud traffic handled outside Africa, risking perpetuation of inequitable global health dynamics. Without urgent action on digital infrastructure, regulation, and technical talent development, African health systems risk adopting poorly validated AI tools while missing opportunities to capture economic value.