G20 Johannesburg became a turning point for global tech governance, with India driving outcomes in the US’s absence and shaping the Johannesburg Consensus on open tech and public digital infrastructure.
The Global AI Compact
India used the summit to push for new global rules on AI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a shift away from “finance-centric” to “human-centric” systems, placing human oversight at the core of AI governance.
He proposed safety by design, algorithmic transparency, limits on deepfakes and encouragement for open-source AI models, urging leaders to focus on building the “capabilities of tomorrow” by moving beyond protecting the “jobs of today”.
PM Modi also announced the AI Impact Summit for February 2026, themed ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’, which translates to ‘for the welfare of all, for the happiness of all’.
IBSA’s Digital Return
IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) re-entered the global tech conversation with the IBSA Digital Innovation Alliance. India offered UPI to Brazil and South Africa, Brazil is exploring linkages with PIX, while South Africa is using the alliance to modernise its payments landscape.
CoWIN will become a shared public health platform, and the bloc will join hands on cybersecurity protocols, women-led technology projects and NSA-level coordination, acknowledging the merger of digital and national security.
The ACITI Partnership
India quietly sealed the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership, linking the three countries on critical minerals, clean energy, AI, lithium recycling, 6G, quantum and supply-chain resilience.
Canada and Australia bring deep mining strength. India brings its growing AI base. The deal also marks a reset in India-Canada. The pact encourages joint work on recycling lithium, designing cleanties, with operational meetings starting in early 2026.
UAE’s Billion Dollar AI Push for Africa
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a $1 billion ‘AI for Development’ fund to accelerate Africa’s digital adoption, supporting smart classrooms, telemedicine and climate modelling tools. It signals how Gulf economies are using shared AI infrastructure as a path to global inclusion.
DPI Goes Global
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) moved to the centre of development discussions. PM Modi proposed an Open Satellite Data Partnership to give developing nations access to satellite imagery and measurements from G20 space agencies—from mixture maps for farmers to storm alerts for coastal communities.
India also launched the G20 Africa Skills Multiplier to train one million digital trainers and a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository to protect medical and ecological heritage from “bio-piracy”.
Critical Minerals Circularity
India pushed a shift from extract-and-export to recycling and urban mining for lithium, cobalt and other battery metals. The Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative aims to reclaim materials from used batteries and electronics, cut pollution and build cleaner domestic supply chains, aligning with Africa’s mineral boom.
Africa’s AI Factories
Strive Masiyiwa, founder of Cassava Technologies, announced five AI factories across Africa—a $720 million investment in local supercomputing powered by NVIDIA processors.
Most of the capacity is already pre-booked by universities, banks and startups signalling a significant leap in data sovereignty and local AI development.
China-South Africa Green Tech Plan
China and South Africa outlined a plan for clean industrialisation, focussed on green mining and adding value on the continent.
The goal is to turn Africa’s mineral resources into manufacturing strength and build innovation-ready green industries.
India’s Bilateral Tech Corridors
India advanced several bilateral tracks. Along with Italy, the country introduced a new initiative to track terrorism financing via crypto, payments and the dark web; progress on space. It covered semiconductors, talent mobility and economic security with Japan.
With South Africa, India reviewed cooperation in AI, public digital systems, minerals and education, and IIT’s African campuses. Telecom networks and 6G frameworks were the focus of the India-UK talks.
Tracking the Drug Terror Economy
PM Modi urged the G20 to target fentanyl networks using data analysis and financial intelligence to trace digital money flows behind synthetic drugs.
A New Digital Order
Johannesburg showed a Global South ready to write its own rules. With the US absent, decisions moved faster—and India anchored a model built on DPI, open technology and human welfare.
The Johannesburg Consensus reflects a world choosing neither Silicon Valley’s market-driven approach nor surveillance-heavy alternatives, but a middle path that keeps technology fair, accessible and centred on human needs as India heads toward the 2026 AI Impact Summit.
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