[BRUSSELS, SciDev.Net] As digital technologies reshape our societies, Africa must chart its own course. This begins with locally designed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

DPI represents foundational systems such as responsible digital payments systems, digital IDs and data-sharing platforms — essential services comparable to water or electricity.

With them, people can fully access their rights and benefit from the digital economy, and public services can reach everyone.

As Africa leads the G20 for the first time, with South Africa holding G20 Presidency in 2025 and the African Union now fully part of the G20, this is the moment to champion Africa’s digital transformation — human-centered, inclusive, and sovereign.

The DPI Roadmap Playbook, released in June, provides a practical guide to support countries in developing actionable roadmaps tailored to their own national contexts, drawing from African and global examples.

South Africa launched its Digital Mzansi roadmap in May. Faced with fragmented digital policies and systems, the government convened an interministerial working group, co-chaired by the Ministry of Communications and National Treasury, with the participation of civil society, technical experts, and community groups.

This resulted in a strategy rooted in national priorities and focused on concrete application areas such as financial inclusion, healthcare, and social protection.

The roadmap outlines interconnection of ID systems, creation of interoperable open data platforms, and transparent impact tracking for public services.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Digital Economy Blueprint embodies an ambitious strategy, particularly in e-government, driven by strong coordination among ministries, the private sector, and civil society.

Rwanda, through its ICT Sector Strategic Plan (2024–2029), adopted a whole-of-society approach to digital transformation, prioritising inclusion, improved public services, and economic development.

This includes advancing DPI in areas like civil registration and public administration.

And Ghana, through its Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, demonstrates how DPI can promote equity and inclusive growth, notably through initiatives such as the Ghana Card and digital payment reforms in health and social protection.

These efforts on our continent demonstrate that we already know how to build inclusive digital foundations.

As we have articulated in the aspirations of an inclusive digital Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through the Digital Trade Protocol, we must swiftly connect and scale DPI through this shared vision.

A DPI roadmap provides a governance tool that connects digital ambitions with practical implementation, clarifies institutional roles, sets priorities, and makes strategic decisions explicit: which sectors to prioritise, partnerships to pursue, and how to protect data.

Digital transformation must be inclusive. South Africa’s process included focus groups with young women, “informal” workers, and grant recipients. Their input shaped use cases and service design, which ensures responsible delivery.

Imported digital solutions — often developed without the ordinary African in mind — may offer short-term gains, but pose risks: closed technologies, opaque algorithms, and vendor lock-in.

To ensure sovereignty, African countries must prioritise open standards, modular systems, local capabilities, and win-win partnerships.

Regional cooperation is a must. Continental initiatives like the AfCFTA and alliances like Smart Africa offer opportunities for us to collaborate and deliver faster together, particularly on interoperable systems, by utilising economies of scale through resource sharing.

The DPI Roadmap Playbook is designed to meet countries exactly where they are on their digital transformation journey, whether nascent or mature.

It offers a step-by-step approach taking lessons from real experiences from around the world. It promotes peer learning, cross-ministerial coordination, and mobilisation of public, private, and civil society actors.

Crucially, it also highlights how DPI catalyses private sector innovation, particularly in building interoperable payment systems, fintech solutions, and open finance infrastructure. This lowers barriers to entry for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, unlocking economic opportunities in every community across the continent, whether in rural, peri-urban, or urban centres.

The Playbook was presented to the G20 Digital Economy Working Group delegates earlier this quarter and its reception confirmed the growing need for practical tools that turn ambition into action.

As more countries test this Playbook, their experience and feedback will continue to refine future editions.

We urge governments, Regional Economic Communities, and partners to adopt and utilise the Playbook and share their feedback to improve it by reflecting their realities.

This is a unique opportunity to shape a pan-African vision grounded in national realities and the ambitions of Agenda 2063, turbocharged by AfCFTA implementation.

Africa is rich with talent and vision and can attain digital independence and assert its leadership as the architect of its digital future.

Designing our own DPI means executing on the clear political choice we have made to build a digitalised African market while building trust and ensuring our digital transformation serves people first and leaves no one behind.

Download the DPI Roadmap Playbook.

Nshuti Mbabazi is the managing director of the Better Than Cash Alliance, a partnership hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that brings together governments, companies, and international organisations to accelerate the transition from cash to digital payments for sustainable development.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa French desk.