What is Africa’s Digital Agenda?

The document reviews digital policies across Africa, finding that while most countries have strategies focusing on infrastructure, e-government, and cybersecurity, there is a lack of continental harmonization. It highlights the significant role of external actors, noting that China provides much of the physical infrastructure (e.g., 70% of 4G base stations via Huawei) while the EU exerts regulatory influence through development assistance and agreements like the EU-ACP, which incorporates GDPR standards. The authors argue for an Africa-led, harmonized digital strategy to avoid fragmented standards and better leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

• Most African countries have established digital agendas, though they vary in form from standalone strategies and legal texts to sections within national development plans. Egypt is the only African nation to have developed a specific national strategy for artificial intelligence.
• African digital infrastructure is heavily influenced by China, with Huawei constructing up to 70% of the continent's 4G base stations, alongside other Chinese firms building fiber optics.
• The European Union uses development assistance and legal agreements to shape Africa's digital regulatory framework. Specifically, the EU-ACP agreement incorporates definitions and requirements from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), creating a legal obligation for signatories to comply.
• Common priorities across African digital agendas include the expansion of physical infrastructure, the implementation of e-government services, and the strengthening of cybersecurity, although the latter is often not fully translated into practice.
• Digital taxation is an emerging policy area in Africa, with countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe already implementing some form of digital services tax. The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) is working to ensure these taxes reflect African specificities rather than just global frameworks.
• The African Union's Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) aims to create a Digital Single Market by 2030, focusing on policy harmonization, cross-border infrastructure, and filling the digital skills gap to support the AfCFTA.

APA

Abimbola, O. (2021). What is Africa’s Digital Agenda? Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/what-is-africas-digital-agenda

Chicago

Abimbola, Olumide. What is Africa’s Digital Agenda? Africa Policy Research Institute, 2021. https://afripoli.org/what-is-africas-digital-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abimbola |first1=Olumide |title=What is Africa’s Digital Agenda? |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=23 September 2021 |url=https://afripoli.org/what-is-africas-digital-agenda |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abimbola2021what, author = {Abimbola, Olumide}, title = {{What is Africa’s Digital Agenda?}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://afripoli.org/what-is-africas-digital-agenda}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }