Effective digital governance systems will help Africa achieve 2030 single market target: report

A report by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) indicates that implementing strong and efficient digital government systems by African countries will bring them closer to the main continental goal of creating a single, profitable digital market over the next five years.

The 44-page report by three researchers presents a decision-making framework that encourages stronger implementation of more efficient digital government policies, using some of Africa’s most prosperous countries as a model for emulation. The three tiers of the proposed framework include front- and back-office interfaces, security and data exchange platforms, and infrastructure.

To achieve this, the document recommends adopting what it calls a “modular approach to developing innovative e-government strategies”, “investing in tailored solutions” and “creative use of technology”, which will help ensure that the needs of individuals and businesses are met.

The authors of the document argue that the implementation of well-organised digital government systems is crucial to facilitating the delivery of public services and accelerating economic growth, but is also an important step towards achieving the goal of creating a single African market by 2030, in line with the African Union Digital Transformation Strategy.

At a time when many African countries are engaging in digital transformation projects by building digital public infrastructure (DPI) ecosystems, it is also important to focus on overcoming barriers that prevent the successful implementation of digital government projects, which come with a “range of widely recognized benefits.”

Some countries that are considered exemplary in their digital government efforts are highlighted in the report. They include Mauritius, South Africa, the Seychelles and Tunisia. These countries score high on three global digital government indices that researchers used to analyze the data. They include the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) and the Estonian National Cybersecurity Index (NCSI). They are also the only four countries that rank above the global average on EGDI, the researchers say.

According to the report, what makes digital government projects successful in these top-performing countries is the availability of the necessary public infrastructure, such as national digital identity systems, skills, and appropriate governance and regulatory frameworks.

To come close to the levels achieved by these countries, the report suggests that other countries on the continent need to devote the necessary time, resources and political will to build the necessary infrastructure, ensure interoperability of systems, bridge the digital divide, carry out upskilling and reskilling programmes, and implement the necessary legal and regulatory mechanisms.

One of the sessions of the ID4Africa 2024 conference discussed issues related to the infrastructure challenges related to the interoperability of digital identity and digital government in Africa.

There have also been calls for the introduction of a unified African digital identifier to boost the continent’s digital economy through the free flow of trade transactions.

Article Topics

Africa | Digital Government | Digital Identity | Digital Public Infrastructure | Interoperability