The political economy of digital public infrastructure in Africa
As digital public infrastructure (DPI) surges globally, African countries are increasingly adopting it to accelerate digital transformation, regional integration and public service delivery. However, this DPI push introduces complex political economy dynamics. Melody Musoni examines who benefits and how DPI can genuinely serve African societies.
Summary
As the rollout of digital public infrastructure (DPI) surges globally, African countries are increasingly adopting DPI policies and strategies it to accelerate digital transformation, regional integration, and public service delivery. While continental frameworks and regional initiatives have long embedded DPI’s foundational pillars of digital identity, digital payments, and data exchange, thus preceding the contemporary DPI push, this introduces complex political economy dynamics.
This paper examines these dynamics to discuss who truly benefits from the DPI surge as it is currently being pursued. Although governments leverage DPI for administrative efficiency and service delivery, weak safeguards and the absence of robust data protection risk enabling state surveillance and citizen exclusion. Multinational technology companies often capture a disproportionate share of the commercial value generated by DPI, notably via the underlying cloud infrastructure, reinforcing external dependencies and creating risks of vendor lock-in. Conversely, the collection and processing of citizens’ personal and biometric data, coupled with inadequate data protection safeguards and weak cybersecurity measures, pose risks to citizens’ privacy, increase the potential for biometric data misuse, and expose citizens to cyber threats.
To ensure DPI genuinely serves African societies, policymakers must move beyond standardised, externally driven models. Key recommendations include making public value the primary test for DPI deployments, rigorously enforcing personal data protection and cybersecurity safeguards, aligning DPI initiatives with national and regional development priorities under the AfCFTA, and anchoring projects in a coherent multi-stakeholder governance.
