Countries
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is actively pursuing digital transformation across various sectors to enhance economic growth and service delivery. The country has made notable progress in mobile connectivity, with a penetration rate exceeding 96% and internet usage reaching approximately 78.55% as of 2024. The widespread adoption of mobile money services, particularly EcoCash, has significantly improved financial inclusion, with millions of users conducting transactions via mobile platforms.
The government has implemented policies such as the National ICT Policy 2022–2027 and the Smart Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan to guide digital initiatives. These frameworks emphasize infrastructure development, digital skills enhancement, and innovation promotion. In higher education, efforts are underway to integrate digital technologies, although challenges like inadequate infrastructure and limited funding persist.
In cybersecurity, Zimbabwe enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act in 2021, establishing a legal framework to safeguard personal data and combat cybercrime. The government is finalizing a National Cybersecurity Strategy to further strengthen digital security measures.
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is also gaining momentum, with applications in public safety, banking, and agriculture. For instance, Bulawayo implemented an AI-driven security system in 2024 to enhance law enforcement capabilities.
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Madagascar
Madagascar’s digital transformation is gradually taking shape through a combination of institutional reform, expanding infrastructure, and targeted international partnerships. Since 2019, the country has developed a structured approach to digital governance with the establishment of the Digital Governance Unit (DGU) and the role of a Chief Digital Officer, tasked with modernizing public services and guiding digital policy. Supported by the World Bank and public-sector consultancies, the government has introduced agile and user-centred service delivery models, combining online platforms, SMS, call centres, and in-person access points. Key examples include the Orinasa platform for business registration, which has drastically reduced application times, and the deployment of vaccination certificates through digital channels. A flagship initiative, the PRODIGY programme, is rolling out a nationwide biometric digital identity system aimed at achieving universal coverage and enabling interoperability across public services.
The country’s internet connectivity has significantly improved in recent years. Madagascar is now connected to four submarine cable systems—EASSy, LION/LION2, METISS, and 2Africa. These cables land at different coastal cities and link into a 10,000 km domestic fibre network managed primarily by Telma. The arrival of the 2Africa cable in Mahajanga in 2023 has notably increased bandwidth capacity and resilience. In rural areas, the government is experimenting with innovative infrastructure models such as ICT villages powered by solar energy, which provide access to telemedicine, e-learning, and broadband internet in underserved regions. While core connectivity is improving, last-mile coverage remains a challenge, particularly in remote communities.
Despite these infrastructural advances, Madagascar lacks a dedicated national cybersecurity strategy. The legal framework for cybercrime is based on Law No. 2014‑006, which criminalizes a broad range of offences including illegal access, system interference, data theft, and online fraud. This was later amended by Law No. 2016‑031, which clarified and expanded the original provisions. However, enforcement remains weak due to the absence of procedural regulations, a national computer emergency response team (CIRT), and limited institutional capacity. The country also passed a data protection law in 2014, but the designated authority, CMIL, has never been operationalized, and implementation regulations have not been issued. While Madagascar ratified the African Union’s Malabo Convention in 2024, which requires the creation of national cybersecurity frameworks, progress in this area has been slow.
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Rwanda
Rwanda is a fast-growing digital economy, having achieved high visibility due to its digital achievements. In the 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Rwanda holds the eighth position among startup ecosystems in the Middle East and Africa, securing the fourth spot in Africa overall. International aspects are stressed in Rwanda’s ICT Hub Strategy, which calls for partnerships with global organisations/institutions to develop the tech-based solutions needed to address socioeconomic challenges in areas such as education, health, and agriculture.
The concept of data sovereignty has been at the core of the government’s National Data Revolution Policy, which requires that national data be hosted locally: ‘Rwanda shall retain exclusive sovereign rights on her national data with control and power over its own data.’ However, the policy mentions the importance of collaborating with regional and international stakeholders in building a data industry, and notes that the government will work on attracting investors in the data industry. Data protection regulations adopt the extraterritorial approach of the EU’s GDPR. This means that entities outside of the country that handle citizens’ data are subject to the law. Rwanda intends to develop a national AI policy focused on the ethical use of AI in support of social and economic development.
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Mali
Mali’s internet governance is shaped by its efforts to expand access, promote cybersecurity, and ensure digital inclusion. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Communication plays a key role in managing the country’s digital policies, which focus on improving internet access, particularly in rural areas where connectivity remains limited. A significant part of the strategy is to bridge the urban-rural digital divide by increasing infrastructure investments.
Additionally, Mali is working to strengthen its cybersecurity framework, following the broader regional approach of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This includes combating cybercrime and improving cybersecurity measures to protect citizens and institutions from digital threats. ECOWAS has been instrumental in promoting a unified regional strategy for cybersecurity, and Mali has aligned itself with these goals to secure its digital ecosystem
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Mauritania
Mauritania has expanded its digital infrastructure quickly, building a national fibre backbone of around 4,000 km and developing a state-run data centre and IXP through SDIN. A second submarine cable connection via EllaLink is underway, which will reduce the country’s long-standing dependence on a single international route and improve its resilience.
The policy environment is comparatively advanced for the region, with a National Digital Transformation Agenda, a national cybersecurity strategy, a broadband strategy, and a National AI Strategy 2025–2029. Mauritania also has a full data-protection law (2017-020) and has ratified the AU Malabo Convention, placing it among the more norm-aligned digital governance frameworks in West Africa.
Digital adoption remains modest, with e-commerce still largely informal and many transactions happening via social-media platforms. While broadband and mobile access continue to improve, national assessments highlight gaps in skills, affordability and institutional capacity that still limit widespread digital uptake.
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Qatar
Qatar is among the most connected countries in the world, with approximately 99–100% of its population using the internet, compared to a global average of around 63% in 2025. Mobile connections account for approximately 156% of the population, reflecting the prevalence of multi-SIM and smartphone use, while social media identities cover roughly 84% of residents. The two operators, Ooredoo and Vodafone, report nationwide 4G/5G coverage, including desert areas, giving Qatar one of the densest mobile broadband footprints in the region, with internet prices for a basic basket below 1% of average income.
On the infrastructure side, Qatar combines near-universal fibre-to-the-home with strong international connectivity via at least six operational submarine cable systems (AAE-1, Falcon, FOG, GBI, Qatar-UAE and TGN-Gulf), plus new capacity from 2Africa and the Fibre in Gulf (FIG) regional cable. Ooredoo has announced over US$500 million in new international cable projects and alternative land routes to Europe, aimed at improving resilience and latency. Qatar is also one of the few states in the region hosting two hyperscale cloud regions, Microsoft Azure (Qatar Central) and Google Cloud Doha, offering in-country, multi-zone infrastructure backed by a growing local data centre market and a national internet exchange point, where 65% of the 1,000 most-visited sites are reachable locally.
At the policy level, Qatar has a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2019) and an Artificial Intelligence Committee to steer AI deployment and skills development, part of a broader ‘AI+X’ vision for the economy. All this is complemented by a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy 2024–2030, which aims to make Qatar a regional leader in the secure adoption of emerging technologies, and by one of the region’s earliest standalone data-protection laws. Large-scale partnerships have already moved dozens of government and semi-government entities onto national cloud platforms, reinforcing Qatar’s position as one of the more digitally advanced and policy-active Gulf states, even as issues such as competition, content controls and long-term diversification remain under discussion.
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New Zealand
Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws
New Zealand (Aotearoa) scores strongly on international digital-government indicators: the UN’s 2024 E-Government Development Index places it 16th of 193 and 12th on e-participation. Its core digital-governance direction is set through whole-of-government programmes and guidance, notably the Digital Strategy for Aotearoa, with its action plan, the Digital Inclusion Blueprint, and the Government Data Strategy and Roadmap, alongside an open-data commitment under the Declaration on Open and Transparent Government.
On internet governance, New Zealand’s ccTLD is run through the .nz governance model: InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa is recognised as the designated manager for .nz and operates the registry and authoritative DNS, while the Domain Name Commission publishes and enforces the .nz Rules, with scheduled version updates.
For connectivity, policy is primarily delivered through long-running infrastructure programmes rather than a single ‘broadband strategy’: the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) roll-out was completed in December 2022 (covering 412 towns/cities), and uptake was reported at 76% as of 30 December 2024, alongside MBIE’s broader rural/mobile programme portfolio. International capacity is underpinned by submarine cables, including the Southern Cross NEXT landing at Takapuna, the Hawaiki landing at Mangawhai Heads, and the cross-Tasman TGA system landing at Raglan.
On 5G and spectrum, New Zealand has used spectrum planning and allocation processes: RSM’s work on high-band spectrum includes the 24–30 GHz range, with a programme underway to make it available to the market in 2026; earlier RSM work supported 5G access in key bands. Cable and critical communications resilience also includes a protection layer: the Submarine Cables and Pipelines Protection Act 1996 establishes protected areas, and Maritime NZ guidance highlights restrictions, such as fishing/anchoring prohibitions, within cable protection areas.
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For security, trust, and the digital economy, New Zealand’s baseline includes the Cyber Security Strategy 2019, plus a dedicated Cyber Security Emergency Response Plan, and the Privacy Act 2020 (13 privacy principles, with OPC guidance and breach expectations). E-commerce is governed mainly by consumer and marketing rules, especially the Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Guarantees Act, and by anti-spam enforcement under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007.
Cloud and emerging tech are shaped by public-sector policy and market shifts: Cabinet materials set a Cloud First direction, including an onshore preference for some classified data ‘over time’, while NZ now has onshore hyperscale regions (Microsoft Dec 2024; AWS region launch Sep 2025), and AI governance is framed by MBIE’s AI Strategy, plus the Public Service AI Framework; digital identity is supported by the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023 and related rules.
New Zealand’s permanent mission to the UN:
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) website hosts the official page for the Permanent Mission to the UN and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, which also notes that the WTO mission is co-located in the same chancery. The mission’s Head of Mission is Ambassador Deborah Geels, serving as Permanent Representative to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva and Ambassador for Disarmament.
Official website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/new-zealand
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Mauritius
Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws
Mauritius’ digital governance is anchored in long-running national roadmaps that link public-service modernisation with growth and ‘trust’ requirements, notably Digital Mauritius 2030 and the Digital Transformation Blueprint 2025–2029. On digital-government performance, Mauritius is placed in the UN’s ‘very high EGDI’ group and ranked 76th globally in 2024, among Africa’s top performers. Connectivity is comparatively strong for the region: DataReportal estimates approximately 79.5% internet penetration in early 2025.
Cybersecurity has been a major focus area, combining strategy and ‘hard law’. The National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023–2026 sets goals around critical infrastructure resilience, awareness and international cooperation. The Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act 2021 establishes a National Cybersecurity Committee and a comprehensive framework for cybercrime, supporting operational coordination, including CERT-MU in the Act’s structure. In 2024, government reporting said Mauritius scored Tier 1 in the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, ranked 1st in Africa.
A defining recent content governance/civic space episode was the 2024 social media shutdown attempt: the ICT regulator instructed ISPs to suspend access to major platforms, initially set for 1–11 November 2024, citing security/public-safety concerns linked to ‘illegal postings’, then reversed the measure after backlash. The incident is widely seen as a stress test of proportionality and due process in internet regulation during an election period, with civil society groups warning against broad restrictions on access to information and political speech.
On privacy and data governance, the core instrument is the Data Protection Act 2017, which governs controllers/processors and provides safeguards for personal data and the rights of individuals. The data policy framework matters across government and the private sector, including finance, BPO and digital services, especially where processing is outsourced or cross-border. Additionally, Mauritius has faced sustained debate over the balance between state digital systems and rights protections, highlighted internationally by the UN Human Rights Committee’s findings on safeguards for biometric-ID data, a major reference point in discussions on privacy-by-design.
Mauritius’ digital infrastructure governance blends connectivity expansion with safeguards for competition. Its broadband direction is set out in the National Broadband Policy 2012–2020, which frames broadband as an ecosystem (infrastructure, regulation, competition and consumer welfare). For submarine cables, the Open Access Policy for Undersea Cable Landing Stations (2010) treats landing stations as essential facilities and requires access provisions for other operators, an important competition and resilience lever for an island state. Recent ICTA statistics show very high subscription intensity (e.g., 2.216 million total internet subscriptions in 2024), reflecting extensive mobile and fixed uptake.
The cloud and emerging-tech landscape is increasingly regulated through sector rules and dedicated institutions. In financial services, both the Bank of Mauritius cloud guideline (2022) and the FSC cloud computing guideline (2023) set expectations for governance, risk management and oversight when institutions adopt cloud services. For AI, Mauritius’ AI Strategy (2018) outlines national priorities and governance recommendations, while the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council Act (2021) establishes an institutional platform to promote and steer emerging technologies. In 2025, the FSC added a concrete “responsible AI” layer for finance through non-binding principles for ethical AI use, signalling a move toward practical, sector-specific AI governance.
Related news on dig.watch
Mauritius’ permanent mission to the UN:
Mauritius’ Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations represents the country across Geneva-based multilateral diplomacy, covering areas such as human rights, health, labour, trade, migration and humanitarian affairs handled in International Geneva. The mission is listed in the UN Geneva Blue Book, and its official government site provides contact details and public information about its role and activities. The mission is based at Rue de Vermont 37–39, Geneva.
Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/mauritius
MAURITIUS EMBASSY AND PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UN – GENEVA:
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