Ghana has assumed a two-year chairmanship of the African Union’s (AU) specialised committee on communication and information technology, as ministers across the continent push for faster implementation of digital policies and a unified market that could expand cross-border trade and investment.
The transition took place at the Sixth Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and Information and Communication Technology (STC-CICT) in Libreville, Gabon, with Ghana’s Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George taking over from Lesotho’s Nthati Moorosi.
Ministers at the meeting called for stronger cooperation on digital infrastructure, data governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, arguing that Africa must move beyond adopting strategies to implementing them. The proposed Single African Digital Market is intended to make it easier for businesses and consumers to access digital services and conduct transactions across national borders.
Sam George said the continent already had several policy frameworks, including the Digital Transformation Strategy, Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Data Policy Framework and Malabo Convention, but implementation had lagged.
He said Africa needed to approach digital development as a market of nearly 1.5 billion people rather than 55 separate economies, adding that connectivity, data governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence should be treated as urgent priorities.
The new chair also cited Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme as an example of efforts to develop digital skills among young people.
African Union Commission Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato D. Mataboge said digital infrastructure had become as important to economic development as roads, ports, railways and electricity. She called for increased investment in cross-border fibre networks, regional data centres, internet exchange points, cloud infrastructure and last-mile connectivity.
She also urged governments to coordinate infrastructure, energy and digital investment, while advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area’s Protocol on Digital Trade. Cooperation on digital identity, cross-border payments, electronic transactions and data governance will be necessary to support a more integrated market, she said.
” Africa does not suffer from a shortage of digital strategies… What we require now is sustained financing, stronger institutions and the courage and focus to implement our commitments,” Mataboge said.
She called for dedicated financing facilities for continental digital infrastructure and greater use of blended finance, guarantees and public-private partnerships to attract investment, particularly in underserved markets. She said progress should be reflected in lower connectivity costs, wider digital access, job creation and improved public services.
Gabonese Economy, Digitalisation and Innovation Minister Mark-Alexandre Doumba said his country remained committed to continental digital integration and ensuring that digital transformation delivered benefits to citizens.
The ministers are expected to consider and adopt a report from technical experts, review progress on continental digital initiatives and advance the Libreville Declaration on the Road to Doha ahead of the 2026 International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Qatar.
The meeting is also addressing the Algiers Declaration on Fair, Safe and Responsible Digital Platforms in Africa, cybersecurity, data protection and the continent’s position in global digital governance.
The African Union Commission said it would continue working with member states, regional economic communities, development partners and the private sector to mobilise financing and accelerate implementation of the continent’s digital commitments.
