11 African Nations Dropped $2B+ on Chinese Surveillance Tech
A new study reveals African governments spent billions on Chinese-built facial recognition and tracking systems.
Eleven African governments have collectively spent more than $2 billion on Chinese-built surveillance technology capable of recognizing faces and monitoring people's movements, according to a new study by IDS and ADRN.
Nigeria leads the pack, shelling out $470 million on the tracking systems alone.
The report found the technology deployed across the continent is neither "necessary nor proportionate" — a damning assessment of purchases that span multiple countries and massive budgets.
Chinese firms have aggressively expanded their surveillance tech footprint across Africa, offering governments turnkey systems for population monitoring. The scale of spending revealed here puts hard numbers on a trend privacy advocates have warned about for years.
The findings raise serious questions about digital rights across the continent as these systems become deeply embedded in government infrastructure.