TAS 2023 : digitalization for smarter Africa

Historic. That was how the sixth edition of the Transform Africa Summit was described. Because it was held outside its country of birth, Rwanda, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; because of the « high level » participation. 5 heads of state, including a king, 44 ministers and around 4,000 delegates from 91 countries. « A demonstration of the continent’s mobilization in favor of digital transformation, » said the organizers. No doubt. Representatives of the public sector, heads of institutions and development partners, business leaders and startups from the five continents were united by the same cause: accelerating the continent’s digitalization.

But if traditional songs, red carpets and other accoutrements to welcome the distinguished guests were part of the event, there were no celebrations planned as this edition coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Smart Africa Alliance, the pan-African institution behind the event. It was not a time for celebration. As the various heads of state, heads of institutions, business leaders and other partners of the Alliance, who were invited to the institution’s traditional annual meeting, but which had not been held since the last edition in Kigali in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will have recalled on numerous occasions. The former will have more than recalled the role and impact of technologies in Africa. Although the digital revolution in Africa is accelerating, around two-thirds of the continent, or 900 million people, still lack access to the internet.

While broadband has spread rapidly, more than 60% of people who have access to the internet do not use it

« Transforming Africa means digitizing our economies, » said Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who also chairs the Smart Africa board. However, the President noted, « although broadband has spread rapidly, more than 60% of people who have access to the Internet do not use it. This is because the cost of connections is still too high, but also « because users are not yet familiar with the interface, in a language they do not understand.”

Strengthening skills and digital literacy; working on digital identities and cybersecurity; implementing the African Digital Single Market in the light of the AfCFTA. In other words, the essential elements, in his view, with an incidental invitation to accelerate the pace through the use of artificial intelligence.

This is the mandate of Smart Africa. Launched in 2013 by 7 African Heads of State, the Alliance now has 36 member countries representing more than 1 billion people and over 40 private sector members, as well as international organizations and global private sector players responsible for Africa’s digital agenda. Committed to accelerating sustainable socio-economic development on the continent and bringing Africa into the knowledge economy through affordable access to broadband and the use of ICTs, with the vision of creating a single digital market in Africa by 2030, the Smart Africa Alliance is entering a new phase and a new roadmap after a first decade of experimentation.

If half your market doesn’t have access to the internet, it becomes a digital market of only 700 million people. That’s not the Africa we want

« Ten years is an important age for an institution. Our anniversary is not so much a celebration as an opportunity to pause and look back over the past ten years to see the mountains we still have to climb up, » said Lacina Koné, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Africa Alliance. With « modest » beginnings, three board members and a capital of US$600,000, « we can proudly say that we have played our part ». Marked by « strategic partnerships » _ more than a hundred partnerships, including with development agencies and funding organizations such as BMZ, GIZ, European Union, World Bank, African Development Bank, BADEA… _ the decade has also seen the institution grow. « We have grown from 7 member states in 2013 to an alliance of 36 member states representing a population of 1.1 billion people, and we are still growing. The Smart Africa Alliance Secretariat has grown from 3 members with a capital of $600,000 in 2023 to over 50 members and a capital of $23 million. »

While the Kingdom of Eswatini became the 37th member state of the Alliance on the sidelines of the Summit, the Republics of The Gambia and Botswana have also indicated their intention to join the Alliance. Private sector members such as Irembo, Ascend Digital and Asmos Consulting Africa also formalized their membership during the summit.

« The ongoing growth of Smart Africa is a testament to the tangible value we consistently deliver,” said Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa. « But African integration remains limited, he admits. Intra-African exports represent only 16.6% of total exports, compared with 68.1% in the European Union, 59.4% in Asia and 55% in the Americas. Africa is also the continent with the lowest internet penetration rate, at around 39-40% of the population, compared with a global average of almost 60%.

If half of its market does not have access to the internet, it becomes a digital market of only 700 million people. That is not the Africa we want. To build the Africa we dream of, we need to move faster, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution allows us to accelerate and cheat a leap. The Africa we want is a transformed, innovative, connected continent, which is the theme of this summit, which means implementing the roadmap for Africa’s digital revolution and achieving our shared vision of a single digital market by 2030.”

We want to have a greater impact on Africa’s economic and social transformation and put Africans at the heart of the digital revolution

This is a vision and an ambition that the Smart Africa Alliance is determined to support and even « shake up » with its new 2023-2025 roadmap.  « We want to have a greater impact on Africa’s economic and social transformation, putting Africans at the heart of the digital revolution to create a fair and inclusive society with equal opportunities for all. Ten years on, our mandate remains as relevant as ever, » he said in conclusion.

This requires a collaborative approach, Jenfan Muswere, Zimbabwe’s Minister of ICT, emphasized at the opening ceremony. We are here to discuss the challenges and opportunities that Africa faces in achieving digital transformation, to learn from each other and to find ways to ensure that every African has access to the benefits of the digital revolution, » he said. We believe that digital transformation is essential for the continent’s economic development and social progress. We are committed to working with our African brothers and sisters and our international partners to build a digital Africa that benefits all, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Citing his country’s initiatives to transform the national economy into a smart economy and make Zimbabwe a « smart nation », he said. « Our government has recognized the importance of digital and has made it a priority. That is why we have developed the National ICT Policy, which provides a framework for the development of Zimbabwe’s IT sector. A sector that has grown significantly in Zimbabwe in recent years, he said, contributing significantly to GDP, creating job opportunities for young people, participating in the emergence of vibrant startup ecosystems, and leading to the growth of e-commerce and digital services. A collective effort, the minister stressed. « The success of the digital transformation requires collaboration and partnerships, among Africans and with the international community. These partnerships will be essential to achieving our goals and realizing the full potential of Africa’s digital revolution. »

Finally, the Zambian President urged ambition, calling for the creation of a single digital market. « We welcome the establishment of one-stop shops at our borders, but we should be proud and quite ambitious when there are no more stops at our borders. Is that possible? It is possible. If we create a digital platform. And he underlined the benefits in terms of saving time, money, for businesses, for states which will then see an increase in public funds.  « What irritates me as a president in our country is the bureaucracy in the public sector. But I have come to understand that it is not only the bureaucracy, but also the hidden interests. The slower the process, the more corrupt it is and the less revenue the treasury collects.

Digitalization gives us the opportunity to unite Africa

« Digitalization gives us the opportunity to unite Africa, » concluded the Zimbabwean minister. Now we have to implement the Smart Africa agenda. Meanwhile, the summit was marked by the signing of several agreements, including a $1.5 million project between Smart Africa and the African Development Bank to streamline digital trade and e-commerce policies in ten African countries; an agreement between Smart Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat to strengthen cooperation in the field of information; and the signing of the Smart Africa Trust Alliance (SATA) by eight founding member states to connect all systems through a trust framework. Other partnerships were signed in the areas of connectivity, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship and capacity building, including with the I4Policy Foundation, Hitachi Systems Security, Zhejiang, Gaia-x European Association for data, the Internet Society and the Estonian ICT Cluster (ITL).