Digital Africa on the Move : towards innovation, sovereignty, and inclusion

 By Dounia Ben Mohamed

ANAMAG Special Tech November – December 2025

Africa has never been closer to a true digital revolution. According to the African Development Bank, the continent now counts more than 700 million mobile users, of whom nearly 60 percent are connected to the Internet, a figure that has steadily grown over the past five years. This trend is profoundly transforming the sectors of education, health, finance, and public administration.

“The digitalization can transform our economies and bring public services closer to our citizens,” recalls Blade Nzimande, South Africa’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

This digital inclusion requires the democratization of access to infrastructure and services

This inclusion is being driven by broader access to digital infrastructure and services. Today, more than 30 percent of African governments have launched digital platforms allowing citizens to access public services online, according to the African Union. At the same time, fintech and mobile solutions continue to bridge financial gaps: mobile transactions represented more than 400 billion USD in 2024, reaching populations previously excluded from traditional banking systems.

Digital Sovereignty: A Strategic Challenge

Africa no longer dreams merely of being connected: it aims to control its own digital infrastructure, its data, and its technological future.

“We cannot allow our data to be controlled by anyone, anywhere… Without digital sovereignty, we have no national sovereignty,” warns Blade Nzimande.

When African data resides on African servers, we control our digital destiny. We are no longer subject to decisions made in Silicon Valley

This stance is echoed by Solly Malatsi, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies: “It is important that we protect our country and our systems from intrusions that could compromise the sovereignty of our data.”

Without robust local infrastructure, Africa risks remaining dependent on foreign actors for data hosting. Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, emphasizes: “When African data resides on African servers, we control our digital destiny. We are no longer subject to decisions made in Silicon Valley.”

Local Innovation and Global Impact

But innovation alone is not enough. Developing local data centers, securing infrastructure, and creating African software are priorities to reduce dependency and safeguard citizens’ data. The rise of “made in Africa” data centers creates jobs, strengthens technological autonomy, and stimulates local innovation.

Between 2020 and 2025, investments in African startups exceeded 6 billion USD, according to the African Tech Observatory, a record figure reflecting the confidence of international investors and the growing maturity of African companies.

“Digital sovereignty depends as much on building physical data centers as on nurturing local technology ecosystems,” highlights Andile Ngcaba, Executive Chairman of Convergence Partners and President of the Digital Council Africa.

African companies are already developing solutions adapted to local realities — e‑health applications, e‑education platforms, inclusive fintech — all supported by resilient, locally rooted infrastructure. This dual movement — infrastructure plus innovation — is the key to a digitalization that does not reproduce neocolonial patterns.

Ethical and Cultural Dimensions

Digital Africa is not an abstraction: it is a tangible movement, driven by determined men and women capable of deeply transforming the continent’s economies and societies.

Yet this ambition also raises ethical and cultural questions: who defines technological standards? How can Africans’ personal data be protected? How can the proliferation of “made in Africa” platforms be encouraged? Voices like Andile Ngcaba remind us that “digital sovereignty is essential: we must develop, deploy, and control our own AI systems rather than rely exclusively on foreign platforms.”

This special edition of ANAMag Tech casts a spotlight on these challenges: innovation, sovereignty, and inclusion. Digital Africa is not a concept: it is a concrete movement, carried by determined men and women, capable of profoundly transforming the continent’s economies and societies.