South Africa just put a woman with two decades of tech policy experience in charge of representing its AI ambitions to the world.

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities announced the appointment of Lady Mariéme Jamme as the country's special envoy for technology and artificial intelligence. The news broke at the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, and was reported by ITWeb on 7 July 2026 (ITWeb).

The role is honorary, strategic and non-executive. Jamme will act as South Africa's global representative and adviser on technology diplomacy, responsible AI governance, and digital inclusion, engaging with governments, multilateral institutions, academia, investors and industry leaders, with a particular focus on workforce readiness.

Jamme isn't new to this work. She's the founder and CEO of iamtheCODE, an African-led movement operating in nearly 90 countries that equips women and girls with coding, AI and digital literacy skills. She's served on the World Wide Web Foundation board, won the Innovation Award at the 2017 Global Goals Awards as a UN Goalkeeper, and has spent more than two decades advising governments and multilateral organisations on digital transformation across Africa and globally (Government ZA; iamtheCODE).

On the appointment, Jamme said: "This appointment is an opportunity to strengthen Africa's contribution to global AI governance and to ensure innovation expands opportunity, protects human dignity and creates lasting prosperity for women, young people and underserved communities."

The Department frames the appointment as an extension of its mandate: advancing the socio-economic empowerment and inclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities, while backing South Africa's vision of a digitally inclusive society.

It's a smart move. Global AI governance conversations have largely happened without African representation at the table. Putting someone with Jamme's track record, grassroots digital literacy work paired with multilateral policy experience, in this seat gives South Africa an actual voice in rooms where AI rules are being written.

This is exactly the kind of leadership Africa's AI future needs. Uhuru AI is hopeful this appointment helps fast-track AI awareness and adoption across the continent, putting African voices, African problems and African talent closer to the centre of the global AI conversation.

Sources: ITWeb, South African Government (Facebook), iamtheCODE