saiia_pi_171_dpi-futures-79e7060819124db3.pdf

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) outlines a strategic roadmap for implementing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) withinS within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The authors argue that while SADC has strong foundational payment systems, it faces systemic risks due to policy fragmentation and a lack of regulatory harmonisation, specifically regarding the AU Malabo Convention. The document proposes a 'Triple-A' agenda—accelerate, anchor, and assert—to drive inclusive digital transformation, leveraging lessons from India's 'security-by-design' and Brazil's 'brownfield' approach to digital sovereignty.

• SADC is implementing Africa's first regional DPI initiative through a federated e-Know Your Customer (e-KYC) ecosystem. This framework spans 16 member states and aims to unify national ID systems to provide financial services to over 3.7 million cross-border nationals who are currently excluded due to fragmentation.
• The primary obstacle to SADC'sS DPI goals is not technical but regulatory. A significant 'regulatory void' exists because very few member states—specifically only Comoros, Mozambique, and Zambia—have signed the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention), which undermines the trust required for cross-border data flows.
• SADC can utilize a 'brownfield' approach to digital transformation by building upon existing infrastructure, such as the SADC Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system (operational since 2013) and the Transactions Cleared on Immediate Basis (TCIB) system (launched in 2021).
• The document recommends adopting 'techno-legal' safeguards inspired by India's 'DPI Sutras'. This approach involves embedding governance and compliance obligations directly into the system code—such as mandatory consent mechanisms in APIs—to prevent the weaponization of DPI by state or corporate actors.
• African nations face structural barriers in global digital governance, including resource asymmetry and visa restrictions that limit the participation of civil society and experts. To counter this, the authors suggest using the African Digital Compact (ADC) as a diplomatic anchor to present a unified voice in forums like the G20 and UN.
• To ensure DPI is inclusive, the report emphasizes the need to address the digital divide for marginalized groups. It notes that only 16% of Africans with disabilities are online and suggests hybrid service delivery models (blending online and offline tools) and investment in assistive technologies.
• The authors propose a 'Triple-A' roadmap for SADC: accelerate e-KYC-driven interoperability, anchor governance with techno-legal safeguards to close the Malabo gap, and assert a unified global voice through the African Digital Compact.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). saiia_pi_171_dpi-futures-79e7060819124db3.pdf. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAIIA_PI_171_DPI-FUTURES.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. saiia_pi_171_dpi-futures-79e7060819124db3.pdf. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAIIA_PI_171_DPI-FUTURES.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=saiia_pi_171_dpi-futures-79e7060819124db3.pdf |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAIIA_PI_171_DPI-FUTURES.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsndsaiiapi171dpifutures79e7060819124db3pdf, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{saiia\_pi\_171\_dpi-futures-79e7060819124db3.pdf}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAIIA_PI_171_DPI-FUTURES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }