Thelma Quaye

Building Resilient Digital Ecosystem in Africa through Sustainable Investments" aims to discuss the importance of sustainable investments in building a resilient digital ecosystem in Africa. This session will look at challenges faced by African countries in building a sustainable digital ecosystem and the need for private sector investment to help bridge the infrastructure gap. The panelist will look at emphasis and importance of building sustainable digital infrastructure that can withstand the challenges faced by African economies, including political instability, insufficient regulatory frameworks, and limited access to capital. The panelists also emphasized the need for sustainable investments that promote inclusive growth and support local innovation, the role of policymakers, investors, and private sector actors in fostering sustainable investments in Africa's digital ecosystem. Finally, the session concluded by highlighting the opportunities for sustainable investments in Africa's digital economy and the need for partnerships to accelerate growth in this area.

In Africa, numerous governments have embraced digital labour platforms, bringing together businesses, workers, and consumers, as a solution to decrease unemployment. Digital platforms stimulate employment and income generation, but they also encompass risks such as lower employment security and unfair working conditions. This has raised cross-cutting regulatory issues in a number of domains such as labour, social welfare, occupational health and safety, competition, taxation as well as data and consumer protection. As with other developments around digital transformation, the platform economy is evolving dynamically and therefore a new approach to policymaking and regulation is required – it should be more agile and more collaborative. The panel brings together high-level experts on the topics of digital transformation, platform economy, regulation and capacity building. It will discuss the developments in the field and the new requirements for regulatory and policy frameworks, which harness the positives of the platform economy and mitigate against the risks.