Abstract
As the Global South navigates the complexities of digital transformation, the concept of Africa 5.0 emerges as a bold vision for technological sovereignty, inclusive growth, and systemic resilience. This paper explores how the opensource FIWARE framework (from the European “Fiware Foundation” Consortium), originally designed to power smart cities and digital infrastructures, can serve as a catalyst for reimagining economic models across the African continent. By integrating opensource FIWARE’s modular architecture with AI-driven governance, data interoperability, and ethical algorithmic design, we examine how African societies can shift from historical patterns of technological dependency toward forms of digital sovereignty, that are regionally grounded yet globally relevant, with a costless economic priority, serving Society 5.0 matters. Using a Global Studies approach, this research situates the Africa 5.0 paradigm within the broader context of algorithmic ethics, power asymmetries in global AI development, and the urgent need for decentralized, human-centered infrastructures. Case illustrations from early-stage implementations of FIWARE in African innovation ecosystems help demonstrate both the transformative potential and the socio-political challenges of deploying such technologies in fragile or transitional environments. Ultimately, this paper argues that resilience in Africa 5.0 is not merely about infrastructure or access, but about governance, autonomy, and the redefinition of development logics. It proposes a roadmap for Africa 5.0 initiative, placing ethics, local agency, and intelligent systems at the core of a new global order, within a conceptual analysis of digital sovereignty, algorithmic governance, and ethical infrastructure, using literature from global studies, development theory, and digital sociology.
Presenters
Mohamed Dafir Ech-Cherif El KettaniVice President of Mohammed V University in Rabat, and Director of the African, Euro-mediterranean and Ibero-american Studies Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat-Salé*, Morocco
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
SOCIETY 5.0, SMART ECOSYSTEM, OPENSOURCE, RESILIENCE, DIGITAL SOCIOLOGY, AI IMPACT
