AU Open Forum at IGF 2025 highlights urgent need for action on Africa’s digital future
With Africa’s digital ambitions at a crossroads, leaders at the IGF 2025 urged a decisive shift from promises to practical solutions that can bridge the continent’s growing connectivity and policy gaps.
At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, the African Union’s Open Forum served as a critical platform for African stakeholders to assess the state of digital governance across the continent. The forum featured updates from the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and voices from governments, civil society, youth, and the private sector.
The tone was constructive yet urgent, with leaders stressing the need to move from declarations to implementation on long-standing issues like digital inclusion, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Dr Maktar Sek of UNECA highlighted key challenges slowing Africa’s digital transformation, including policy fragmentation, low internet connectivity (just 38% continent-wide), and high service costs.
He outlined several initiatives underway, such as a continent-wide ICT tax calculator, a database of over 2,000 AI innovations, and digital ID support for countries like Ethiopia and Mozambique. However, he also stressed that infrastructure gaps—especially energy deficits—continue to obstruct progress, along with the fragmentation of digital payment systems and regulatory misalignment that hinders cross-border cooperation.
The Dar es Salaam Declaration from the recent African IGF in Tanzania was a focal point, outlining nine major challenges ranging from infrastructure and affordability to cybersecurity and localised content. Despite widespread consensus on the problems, only 17 African countries have ratified the vital Malabo Convention on cybersecurity, a statistic met with frustration.
Calls were made to establish a dedicated committee to investigate ratification barriers and to draft model laws that address current digital threats more effectively. Participants repeatedly emphasised the importance of sustainable funding, capacity development, and meaningful youth engagement.
Several speakers challenged the habitual cycle of issuing new recommendations without follow-through. Others underscored the need to empower local innovation and harmonise national policies to support a pan-African digital market.
As the session concluded, calls grew louder for stronger institutional backing for the African IGF Secretariat and a transition toward more binding resolutions—an evolution participants agreed is essential for Africa’s digital aspirations to become reality.
Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.