The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) is stepping up its digital policy work in 2025 with a sharp focus on artificial intelligence (AI), data, and digital infrastructure, as part of a broader effort to prepare African governments for the challenges and opportunities of the digital era.
According to ACET’s 2024 Annual Report, “In 2025, we are excited to launch a groundbreaking program designed to assist African governments in developing forward-looking policies for regulating artificial intelligence.” The program is expected to help policymakers navigate complex issues surrounding AI, including ethics, regulation, and how the technology can be adapted for Africa’s unique development needs.
The think tank also plans to deepen its technical work across the continent. “We will conduct AI simulations in key focus countries, delivering tailored insights that governments can leverage in their policymaking processes,” the report said. In addition, ACET has pledged to “increase its focus on digital public infrastructure, reflecting that issue’s growing importance in driving sustainable economic development.”
These initiatives build on a year of significant achievements in 2024, when ACET’s Innovation and Digital Policy program worked with governments in Nigeria, South Africa, and Togo to integrate AI into policymaking. In Nigeria, the group partnered with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to capture the economic impact of the creative industries.
In South Africa, it collaborated with the Reserve Bank to use satellite imagery and AI to refine economic activity estimates. And in Togo, ACET supported the Ministry of Finance to deploy AI tools for enhancing taxation policies.
Beyond country partnerships, ACET has positioned itself as a leading voice in digital transformation. In 2024 it published seven reports on AI and economic policymaking, co-convened an AI Summit at the African Union, and hosted policy dialogues across the continent, including a major meeting in Rabat, Morocco under the G20 Compact with Africa.
The organization also launched a “Community of Practice on AI in Economic Policymaking,” which now connects more than 200 members from government, academia, and civil society. The network is designed to promote peer learning and ensure AI is deployed responsibly in public policy.
By embedding AI tools in fiscal and monetary policymaking, ACET has already helped to improve data-driven governance in Africa.
With its new 2025 program, the think tank hopes to go even further, creating frameworks for AI regulation, testing real-world applications, and expanding the continent’s digital infrastructure.
