Two experts opine that African nations must take advantage of South Africa’s G20 presidency to make significant gains in advancing their digital public infrastructure (DPI).
In a recent op-ed, the Africa Director at the Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, and South Africa’s Department of Digital Technologies Director, Nonkqubela Thathakahle Jordan-Dyani, said the G20 presidency is “a historic opportunity to position Africa at the forefront of global digital transformation.”
South Africa took over the presidency from Brazil in December 2024 and will hold it until November 2025. It was the first time an African nation had assumed leadership of the influential forum, whose members account for 85% of the global gross domestic product (GDP).
According to the two experts, African nations have a prime opportunity to tap into the power and influence of the G20 to advance DPI, setting up systems that can catalyze massive growth, curb fraud and corruption, boost financial inclusion, and improve the delivery of government services.
DPI in Africa has improved in the past decade, but as with most tech advancements in the region, only a few nations have seen the benefits. Countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt have pushed for digitalizing their government services, leading to faster and cheaper services for the people. However, most countries still lack the infrastructure to digitalize these services and rely on outdated paper processes.
One of the key tenets of DPI is digital identity. Most African nations have recorded significant strides in this sector, with the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative funding many regional projects.
This includes Nigeria, which has an ambitious target of issuing 180 million digital IDs by the end of next year. The West African nation extended its partnership with the World Bank in January and has already issued 74 million national identity numbers, which serve as the foundation of the digital ID.
The two experts believe that a robust DPI would boost regional trade beyond enhancing government services.
“DPI provides the foundation for secure payments, standardised credentialing and seamless data sharing,” they said.
Intra-African trade remains low despite recent efforts to prop it up, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In 2023, only 15% of the continent’s total trade was between African nations. While several challenges hinder this trade, DPI would solve some key hurdles, such as slow payments and a lack of authentication and verification.
While DPI remains central to Africa’s development, the experts doubled down on the need to implement measures to ensure these digital systems don’t exacerbate existing inequality. Data protection is also key; in some countries like Kenya, recent digitalization initiatives have been marred by allegations of lax security and a lack of data protection.
Watch: Tech redefines how things are done—Africa is here for it
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