Africa's Digital Revolution: Policies and Challenges Across 35 Nations
The African continent is witnessing a digital revolution, with increased access to digital products and services transforming people's socioeconomic lives. To harness this transformation, African governments have developed and implemented policies and strategies. The Africa Technology Policy Tracker (AfTech), a first-of-its-kind aggregate, covers digital economy laws, policies, and regulations across thirty-five African countries and the African Union.
AfTech's analytical framework revolves around four pillars: Digital Infrastructure, Digital Platforms, Digital Skills, and Digital Innovation. The digital infrastructure pillar has received the most policy attention, with 500 data points, followed by digital platforms (246), digital skills (105), and innovation and entrepreneurship (101). Recent trends show a focus on cybersecurity, cloud, data protection, and artificial intelligence policies.
AfTech reveals that twenty-five out of thirty-five countries have a national ICT strategy, prioritizing inclusivity and using ICT as a catalyst for socioeconomic development. Rwanda leads with sixty-three digital economy policy documents. The quantity of digital economy documents in all four pillars has consistently risen since 1988, with a significant increase starting in 2017.
While African governments are actively developing digital economy policies, challenges remain. Current legal frameworks are fragmented, with many laws favoring corporate interests over worker protections. Efforts for regional standards exist, but enforcement gaps persist. AfTech aims to address this by providing a centralized archive for digital economy policies and regulations, supporting harmonized digital governance across African states.
