At least 11 African governments have collectively spent over US$2 billion on AI-powered surveillance infrastructure — primarily supplied by Chinese firms — that is being used to monitor activists, track protesters, and consolidate state control rather than address genuine public safety needs, according to a new report by the African Digital Rights Network and the Institute of Development Studies. The systems, marketed as "smart city" solutions, deploy networks of CCTV cameras linked to facial recognition software, biometric ID tools, and automatic number-plate recognition across countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya — the largest single investor at over US$470 million — with little legal oversight or public accountability. Researchers warn that the absence of any regulatory framework in the 11 countries studied, combined with opaque procurement processes, is enabling documented abuses such as the targeting of opposition figures and the installation of cameras in areas of political opposition, producing a chilling effect on freedoms of assembly and expression across the continent.