Nigerian Researchers Publish Groundbreaking Study on AI, Digital Sovereignty and African Maritime Governance
LAGOS – Nigerian legal researcher Adekunle Saheed Akinola and two co-authors have published a new peer-reviewed study that explores the legal and governance challenges posed by artificial intelligence in Africa’s maritime sector, offering a novel framework to protect the continent’s digital sovereignty.
The article, titled “Digital Sovereignty as Social Justice: Protecting African Maritime Commons in the Age of AI,” was published in the Journal of Education, Communication, and Digital Humanities, published by Babcock University, and is available through Zenodo with the DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21612511.
The study was jointly authored by Adekunle Saheed Akinola, Dr. Felix Chikwado Kamalu and Imam Abdur-Rasheed Ahmed.
The research examines how the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, satellite surveillance and digital technologies across African waters is reshaping maritime governance while exposing coastal states to emerging risks relating to data ownership, digital dependence and algorithmic control.
According to the authors, existing international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), was negotiated long before the emergence of artificial intelligence and therefore provides limited guidance on the ownership and governance of AI-generated maritime intelligence.
The paper argues that Africa faces an emerging form of digital colonialism, where valuable maritime data generated within African waters are increasingly collected, processed and monetised through foreign-controlled technological infrastructures, leaving local communities and governments with limited oversight over their own digital resources.
To address this governance gap, the researchers propose the adoption of Blue Data Trusts, a legal and institutional framework designed to ensure transparency, accountability, equitable benefit-sharing and greater protection of maritime data as a strategic public asset.
The publication further recommends reforms to strengthen AI governance, promote digital sovereignty, safeguard indigenous knowledge and support sustainable development within Africa’s Blue Economy. It also advocates stronger legal mechanisms to ensure that advances in artificial intelligence benefit African coastal states without undermining their sovereign control over strategic maritime data.
The study contributes to growing international scholarship on artificial intelligence governance, digital sovereignty, maritime law, data governance, Blue Economy, cybersecurity, international law and African maritime security, providing policymakers and legal scholars with fresh perspectives on regulating AI in maritime spaces.
The article is openly accessible through Zenodo, enabling researchers, policymakers and practitioners worldwide to engage with its findings and recommendations.
Source: Journal of Education, Communication, and Digital Humanities (Babcock University).
About the Author
Adekunle Saheed Akinola is an academic research consultant and legal researcher with expertise in academic research writing, comparative international human rights law, international environmental law, and sustainable development law. His research focuses on producing high-quality scholarly publications that contribute to legal scholarship and policy development. He is open to academic consultations, research collaborations, manuscript development, journal publication support, and interdisciplinary research partnerships.
For consultation or collaboration, he can be contacted via:
Email: choicelndsolicitors9@gmail.com
Phone/WhatsApp: +234 803 249 3960
ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5346-8773
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