IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

At a recently held China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister, Deng Li laid bare China’s proposal for the China-Africa Partnership Plan on Digital Innovation, which covers a wide range of areas previously highlighted by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19 in 2020 where he stressed that China will explore broader cooperation with Africa in such new business forms as digital economy, smart city, and 5G.

This year’s forum is akin to a follow up on the pronouncement of the Chinese leader last year and a demonstration of the significance the Chinese side places on the proposed areas of cooperation with Africa.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has demonstrated the government’s commitment to promoting e-Government in the country by launching an integrated registration system to consolidate population registration information into a single database for ease of verification by both Government and private bodies. With this tool, data on all people in Kenya can be found in one place.

This makes good the promise made by the Jubilee Government to provide a central database that identifies all citizens and foreign nationals in the country. The system has been dubbed the Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS). During its launch at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, the President said credible data was critical for development and indispensable for the planning and delivery of public services.

ABB Electrification is driving Africa’s transition to smarter, more sustainable cities through its suite of integrated technologies designed to improve energy efficiency, resilience, and connectivity across urban infrastructure.

With rapid urbanisation placing new demands on power, mobility, and digital infrastructure, ABB’s smart city solutions offer a blueprint for sustainable development, from intelligent buildings and reliable power systems to cleaner, connected transport networks.

Promoting local languages and providing relevant, homegrown content could increase internet adoption across the African continent, a new report finds. The report (pdf), published by the Internet Society, a non-profit dedicated to internet policy, finds that despite the increased access to mobile and telecom infrastructure in Africa, internet adoption was still lagging behind.

The continent’s full connectivity is being hampered by the lack of pertinent programs targeting its mobile users, and the availability of those programs in their own languages, says the report. In Africa, mobile is still the primary way of getting online, given the low availability of fixed lines. However, the continent is the least connected region in the world, with only 303 million out of 565 million mobile users accessing the internet via mobile. This showcases that the “barrier to further adoption today is less of an infrastructural problem and more of a relevance one,” the report notes.

The President’s decision will forcibly push a flag-ship medical centre of excellence, the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCC), under the auspices of incompetent and corrupt administrators who are eager to have access to an imagined pot of gold. Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, who almost singlehandedly established the NCC two decades ago, against formidable odds, is perceived by government officials to be hindering their plan to dismantle the autonomy of the NCC and placing it under the poorly managed and money-losing Korle Bu Teaching Hospital administration.

As Africa becomes increasingly digitally connected, the introduction of e-governance could be a tool that increases government efficiency, accountability, and transparency.

Countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Mauritius have already introduced national ICT policies that established centralized information data centers as well as installing a national fiber-optic backbone network that increased internet accessibility and affordability. Their ICT strategies recognize the sector as an enabler of socioeconomic development, political decentralization, and sound governance.

Over the past seven editions, Africa’s presence in the IMD Business School Smart City Index has grown significantly. From six ranked cities in 2019, the continent now boasts nine in 2026, including Rabat, Cairo, Abuja, Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, and Tunis.

At the top of the African ranking, Rabat has confirmed its position as the continent’s benchmark. The Moroccan capital has steadily climbed the rankings, establishing itself as Africa’s highest-ranked smart city thanks to a long-term strategy that combines digital transformation, modernization of public services, and stronger local governance.

Africa’s urban population is expanding at one of the fastest rates in the world, with projections showing that by 2050 roughly two thirds of Africans could live in cities. That surge is reshaping infrastructure demands, governance systems, labor markets and environmental pressures across the continent.

A new academic review finds that while African cities hold strong potential to become smart cities, deep structural barriers could stall progress unless governments, investors and communities align around inclusive and context-driven strategies.

Africa stands at the cusp of a technological revolution, spearheading innovation in the regulatory and governance landscapes. Through the dynamism of RegTech (regulatory technology) and GovTech (government technology), countries across the continent are not only embracing the future but actively shaping it.

With technologies such as big data analytics and fraud management solutions, as well as the partnership between the public and private sectors, governmental bodies are empowered to efficiently navigate extensive datasets, identify potential risks, and detect instances of non-compliance.

By recognising the complexities of African urban life, smart city projects can evolve into inclusive spaces where tech serves as a means rather than an end.

As African cities experience unprecedented urban growth, the integration of smart technologies presents both immense opportunities and structural challenges.

Much of the dominant smart city discourse originates from Western technocratic models, emphasising efficiency, surveillance and top-down governance. While these approaches often overlook Africa’s distinct urban realities − where histories of colonialism, informality and socio-economic inequality shape how technology is adopted − they are not the only challenge.

He said: “It is clear that ICTs now form the basis for manpower development in a knowledge economy and there is the exigency to reposition Africa for the unfolding challenge for rapid growth.

“From East to West, North to South Africa, the growing inseparable link between ICT and the marketplace is captured by the rapid deployment of Economic Resources Planning (ERP) in the corporate world,” Dr Spio-Garbrah stated at a public lecture in Accra.

In an exclusive interview with MWN, UM6P professor Radoine challenges the dominant industry narrative, which often prioritizes technological bells and whistles over human-centered solutions and sustainable practices.

Africa is on the cusp of a historic urban transformation. By 2050, the continent’s urban population is projected to double, with cities becoming hubs of economic activity and innovation.

The projects are designed to spearhead the development of e-health, e-learning and e-commerce in rural areas.

The African Smart Cities Investment Summit in Kigali which had over one thousand delegates, over eighty speakers, twenty-five sessions and over forty-nine sessions brought to the fore the importance and the necessity for African Smart Cities. The speakers from their own varied perspectives stated and alluded to the fact that cities cannot be built the way cities used to be conceptualised, developed and built. Cities need to be attuned with the realities of the 21st century. A smart city uses technology and data-driven solutions to improve the quality of life for its residents, enhance sustainability and maximise urban services. It was also stated that second and third cities have to be developed and built as smart cities.

Parliament on April 20 ratified the Smart Africa Alliance agreement, which aims to transform Africa into a digital single market and promote the use of technology and innovation across the African continent by 2030.

The move was presented by the Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire, and was highly welcomed by the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, after 20 member countries ratified the agreement during the 10th Smart Africa Board Meeting on November 10, 2021.

The three elements of the Sway4edu project are helping to run elections, educate teachers and improve radio programming.

Satellite terminals provide Internet connectivity, with solar panels and batteries (where needed), laptops, tablets, a projector with screen, and loudspeakers.

Africa’s population is expected to double to 2,4-billion people by 2050. In the next 20 years the number of cities in Africa with more than 10-million inhabitants will also double.

Remote areas are pulling African economies down

Today, over 300-million Africans live more than 50km from the nearest fibre or cable broadband connection – 400-million people have no internet access at all.

Nur vier Prozent der afrikanischen Bevölkerung hat Zugang zum Internet, die Mehrheit davon lebt in Nordafrika oder in der Republik Südafrika. Schuld daran ist zum Teil die fehlende Infrastruktur, die den Preis für Hochgeschwindigkeits-Internet über Kabel in die Höhe treibt, berichtet die New York Times. 75 Prozent des afrikanischen Internet-Traffics wird über Großbritannien oder die USA geroutet. Dieser Umweg kostet afrikanische Staaten jährlich Milliarden an US-Dollar, die nicht anfallen würden, gäbe es eine adäquate Infrastruktur. E-Mails, die aus Afrika über Kabel gesendet werden, laufen alle durch ein und dieselbe Glasfaserkabelleitung, die vor der afrikanischen Westküste verläuft.