As editor-in-chief of Territorial Challenges, Nidam Abdi monitors international developments dedicated to the digital transition of local authorities. He believes that in order to succeed in its digital revolution, French-speaking Africa must learn from English-speaking countries.
If French-speaking Africa wants to succeed in its digital transition and establish the competitiveness of Made in Africa internationally, it must draw inspiration from English-speaking models where universities, businesses and public authorities work hand in hand. This is where the continent’s digital sovereignty is at stake.
At a time when globalisation is accelerating at the pace of algorithms, one conviction is clear: Africa will not win the battle for global competitiveness through price, but through quality, trust and
inclusive impact. However, this equation can only be solved through a structured digital strategy based on cooperation between training, innovation and public governance. In this area, it is clear that English-speaking Africa has a head start, and that French-speaking Africa would do well to follow its lead.
The conclusion is clear: in Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa, digital technology is no longer a sectoral policy, but a national project.
Kigali has made ‘Smart Africa’ a continental brand. Nairobi has established its ‘Silicon Savannah’ as a model of inclusive innovation.
Johannesburg is experimenting with smart cities designed by the residents themselves, such as in Westbury, where technology serves social cohesion before serving modernity. These ecosystems work because they are based on a flexible and effective trilogy: dynamic universities, bold businesses, and partner administrations.
Take the example of Rwanda, a small landlocked country that has become a pan-African technology laboratory.
One man embodied this strategy: Steve Mutabazi, who died suddenly in March 2022. At the head of the Rwanda Development Board, this telecoms expert, trained at Australian universities, built Kigali Innovation City (photo above), a continental hub connecting world-class universities, local start-ups and responsible multinationals.
The key lies in trust
The arrival of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU-Africa) on this campus has transformed the country into a melting pot of African talent trained locally for African needs. This is what is known as a circular model of knowledge: knowledge is no longer exported, it takes root.
Conversely, in much of French-speaking Africa, the divide between the academic, economic and public worlds remains wide. Universities educate without dialogue with industrial needs. Incubators exist, but often without bridges to public markets. And governments are multiplying digital strategies without coordinated governance. This compartmentalisation explains why Made in Africa still struggles to establish itself on international markets, despite a considerable pool of talent.
The key is trust. Trust built on three pillars: proof, competence and transparency.
The Smart City of Westown, South Africa, is creating jobs.
This triptych points to a requirement: to build an open, inclusive and interconnected model of governance. In South Africa, the Westown Smart City was created with this in mind: 23,000 jobs, urban planning designed to connect living, working and entertainment, and the judicious use of artificial intelligence and blockchain to ensure transparency and efficiency. It is not technology that makes a project successful, but the quality of the links between the players.
This model of cooperation – academic, entrepreneurial, public – is the missing link in the digital Francophonie. Afroscientism, the diplomacy of knowledge promoted by English-speaking universities, has enabled countries such as Rwanda and Ghana to attract strategic partnerships. The Francophonie, on the other hand, too often continues to think of digital technology as a tool for social inclusion, not as a lever for economic power. Yet the two are inseparable.
