Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant prospect but a transformative force in global knowledge production. Its rapid integration into higher education since the release of large language models such as ChatGPT in 2022 raises fundamental questions about educational equity, intellectual autonomy, and epistemic justice. This article critically examines the implications of AI in African higher education. Drawing on recent empirical and theoretical literature, it explores AI's ethical, social, and epistemic dilemmas within the unique context of African universities, marked by infrastructural disparities, historical marginalisation, and epistemological contestation. This is a conceptual paper grounded in a systematic literature review of scholarly publications and policy sources. The article argues that while AI presents opportunities for democratising access to knowledge, it also risks reinforcing intellectual dependency unless deliberate efforts are made to align AI integration with Afrocentric educational contexts and priorities. It calls for context-sensitive AI literacy programmes, investment in localised AI infrastructure, and the development of indigenous datasets and models to ensure that AI serves as a vehicle for intellectual empowerment rather than exclusion.