S.E.M. Nizar Ben Néji

Africa’s population is currently around 1.4 billion and projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. Africa will comprise 26% of the world’s working age population, with an economy that is estimated to grow twice as rapidly as that of the developed world. There are ongoing efforts on the continent to transform Africa into a Single Digital Market (SDM). Africa’s SDM will be the world’s largest market and will build growth in an African Digital Economy. However, some key challenges remain to unlock the potential of Africa’s SDM such as lack of policies harmonization between African countries, limited capacity of national governance institutions and limited trust on both sides of a digital transaction nationally and across borders. This session looks at how Africa can enable its data flows with trust to safeguard the journey of Africa’s digital transformation into a single market while ensuring an efficient and effective e-governance implementation for the benefit of citizens.

Universal, meaningful connectivity lies at the core of the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy and is the foundation for building a Single Digital Market in Africa. However, today almost two third of Africans remain offline. The digital divide, particularly between the rural and the urban population, persists. This session brings together key stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges of ensuring meaningful and affordable access for all Africans. The session will also provide recommendations to connect the unconnected in Africa and promote the nexuses between energy and digitalization to bridge the urban and rural digital divide.