Two officials of the East African Community (EAC) have emphasized the place of safety, security and interoperability in developing digital public infrastructure (DPI) to better drive Africa’s cross-border and digital trade efforts.
In a piece published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the EAC’s Secretary General, Veronica Nduva, and Principal Information Technology Officer, Eng. Daniel Murenzi, advance that while DPI is fundamentally a driving force for economic growth, having a DPI ecosystem that prioritizes the elements of trust, safety, security and interoperability is the right way to go.
The authors, in their reflection, look at the role which DPI developed with these considerations can play in growing small and medium-sized businesses, but also in widening the possibilities for stronger and more lucrative continental trade. They also underline the place of private sector partnerships and stronger regional cooperation in achieving this goal.
In their write-up, they agree with the World Bank that DPI, if properly designed and implemented, can suppress most barriers to economic growth and social, digital and financial inclusion in Africa.
The writers also note the strides made by African countries in driving their digital transformation agenda through innovation, government-led investments as well as public-private partnership initiatives, citing DPI efforts such as booming mobile money service in Kenya and Tanzania led by M-pesa, Rwanda’s digital government platform Irembo, and Uganda’s UGHub for data exchange among government institutions.
They recognize that although there is no uniform approach to designing and development DPI, attention must however be paid to the core standard requirements that make it actually fit-for-purpose, such as for driving continental market integration. As part of their arguments, they reference the DPI Safeguards initiative fronted by the UNDP.
“A secure and trusted DPI is critical for service delivery, social inclusion and economic growth, especially in cross-border trade and e-commerce. Trust is fundamental: when people feel confident their data is protected, they engage more in digital transactions, boosting the digital economy,” the writers assert.
“Secure DPI ensures seamless, protected cross-border transactions, which is vital for small and medium enterprises looking to expand.”
Coupled with its ability to facilitate cross-border trade with the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), well-developed DPI can also be a driving force for regional integration, acting as a bride for the continent’s eight recognised Regional Economic Communities (RECs), they say.
The Atlantic Council and Access Now recently underscored the fundamental role of trust and human rights in the development of DPI.
Tanzania Stack changing the service delivery narrative
In East Africa, which is seen as the most tech-driven region in Africa, Tanzania is emerging as one of the big players in building DPI and an example of how intentional government commitment can make the difference.
In that country, DPI is a key pillar of a 10-year digital economy strategy framework which the president launched in July.
Known as the Tanzania Stack, the country’s DPI trinity, as explained in a case study, consists of the Jamii Namba which is the national digital ID, Jamii Malipo which represents a digital payments system as well as the Jamii Data Shirikishi which is a data exchange platform. Jamii is a local word for community, and reflects the government’s intention of delivering seamless services to the community.
The Stack – which is a combination of these three platforms – is said to be vital in facilitating service delivery in the country so far, cutting transaction time and cost.
Whether it’s about financial inclusion, transparency and efficiency in government transaction or the delivery of every-day public services, the Jamii platforms have proven essential in delivering the goods.
The platforms, since their launch in 2014, have brought about many benefits such as increased government revenue, government efficiency and transparency, wide acceptance among the population, financial inclusion and cross-border payment engagements.
Nigeria makes progress, but more work required
Like Tanzania, Nigeria is also fully engaged in its DPI journey. Already, the country is said to have successfully built two of the three components of DPI, according to Joy Ajoluchipu, a consultant with the Nigerian government.
These two, the consultant says, are the digital ID and digital payment components, but she opines that there is still a lot that has to be done to “integrate and strengthen these structures across Africa,” according to iAfrica.
Nigeria has more than 110 million people enrolled for its digital ID program, which is making access to public services easier.
What is now left to be established is the third pillar (data exchange) which Ajoluchipu believes will make interaction among public entities more streamlined, changing things from their current siloed and disharmonious nature.
The challenges notwithstanding, the consultant holds that Nigeria appears to be on the right path with its DPI development, but that the country will soon get there with a wholly integrated system, powered by a safe, secure and interoperable DPI ecosystem.
This, she says, requires more coordinated and collaborative work from all concerned parties.
Article Topics
Africa | digital economy | digital identity | digital public infrastructure | government services | Nigeria | public-private partnerships | Tanzania
