Summary:
- Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is a foundational layer of interoperable digital systems. It is essential for accelerating economic resilience and regional integration within SADC.
- SADC has demonstrated leadership by establishing Africa’s first regional DPI initiative, a federated e-Know Your Customer ecosystem aimed at bridging fragmented national ID frameworks and driving financial inclusion for millions of cross-border nationals.
- The region’s existing payments infrastructure, such as the Real-Time Gross Settlement system, provides a robust ‘brownfield’ foundation for SADC to build on rather than start from scratch.
- Global case studies from India and Brazil confirm that DPI success hinges on robust, adapted governance. Key transferable lessons include embedding security-by-design and leveraging multilateral diplomacy to assert digital sovereignty.
- A critical risk to SADC’s DPI ambition is policy fragmentation, evidenced in the lack of adoption of the AU’s Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention), which undermines the trust required for secure cross-border data flows.
- Strategic, unified engagement in global forums is crucial. SADC can use the African Digital Compact to advance regional priorities and influence the global digital order.
- The transformative potential of DPI can only be realised by closing the digital divide. This requires targeted investment in rural connectivity, digital literacy and assistive technologies to ensure equitable access for all citizens, including people with disabilities.
