WEBINAR REPORT State of Africa’s Digital Agenda, 20 Oct 2021

The webinar 'State of Africa’s Digital Agenda' examined the current landscape of digital policies in Africa, emphasizing the need for harmonized continental standards, people-centered design to bridge the digital divide, and the development of local data capacities to move beyond being mere consumers of digital products.

• African governments have focused their digital agendas on three primary areas: economic development, e-government/digital economy, and digital financial services/cybersecurity.
• The ideal digital landscape for Africa should be built upon three pillars: a sustainable innovation ecosystem, harmonized regulations and standards, and multisectoral participation.
• Continental harmonization of digital strategies is essential to optimize resources, attract investment, and establish a homegrown agenda that better positions Africa for international partnerships.
• Digital policies must be people-centered to address persistent gaps in digital usage, access, and literacy, specifically targeting marginalized populations and addressing challenges like broadband affordability and high costs of digital licensing.
• There is a critical need for African countries to develop local capacities for collecting, analyzing, and monetizing data to avoid a cycle where they provide raw data to platform owners and pay for the resulting digital intelligence.

APA

Africa Policy Research Institute (2021). WEBINAR REPORT State of Africa’s Digital Agenda, 20 Oct 2021. https://afripoli.org/uploads/publications/Webinar-Report-State-of-Africas-Digital%20Agenda.pdf

Chicago

Africa Policy Research Institute. WEBINAR REPORT State of Africa’s Digital Agenda, 20 Oct 2021. 2021. https://afripoli.org/uploads/publications/Webinar-Report-State-of-Africas-Digital%20Agenda.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Africa Policy Research Institute |title=WEBINAR REPORT State of Africa’s Digital Agenda, 20 Oct 2021 |date=20 October 2021 |url=https://afripoli.org/uploads/publications/Webinar-Report-State-of-Africas-Digital%20Agenda.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{africapolicyresearchinstitute2021webinar, author = {{Africa Policy Research Institute}}, title = {{WEBINAR REPORT State of Africa’s Digital Agenda, 20 Oct 2021}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://afripoli.org/uploads/publications/Webinar-Report-State-of-Africas-Digital%20Agenda.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }