When Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim took the stage at the MOBEX Africa Tech and Innovation Awards, she did not begin with praise or self-congratulation. Instead, she issued a pointed reminder: Africa cannot speak of digital sovereignty while the foundations needed to support it remain weak.
Representing the Chief of Staff, she urged policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators to recognize that technology is only as strong as the physical and social infrastructure that sustains it.
“We talk about sovereignty, we talk about identity, we talk about a digital renaissance,” she said. “But no take-off is truly possible without the right infrastructure. If we do not have the roads, the railways, the ports, the classrooms and the clinics, how do we even begin to speak about digital sovereignty?”
The awards ceremony concluded a three-day MOBEX Africa conference marking its tenth anniversary, bringing together government officials, global investors, technology firms, and development partners under the theme: Resetting Africa’s Digital Identity and Sovereignty.
Infrastructure as the Starting Point
Shamima Muslim emphasized that both physical and social infrastructure must underpin Africa’s digital progress. Roads, rail lines, ports, broadband networks, schools, and healthcare systems all form the environment that allows digital systems to work and expand. Without them, she cautioned, innovation remains limited to isolated pilots rather than broad societal transformation.
She urged participants to reflect on countries in Asia that advanced from developing to prosperous economies within a generation. Their progress, she noted, came through deliberate state-led investment in infrastructure and coordinated industrialization.
Building, Not Consuming
MOBEX Africa CEO George Spencer Quaye reinforced this message, saying the continent must shift from being primarily consumers of digital tools to becoming producers.
“Africa can no longer afford to be a spectator in the digital arena,” he said. “We must be the architects, the builders, and the owners of our digital future.”
He highlighted MOBEX Africa’s ten-year record as evidence that African innovators are actively developing solutions shaped by local priorities. The challenge, he said, is scaling these innovations so they are not limited to small pockets of success.
“The answer keeps leading us back to infrastructure,” he noted.
A Shared Responsibility
Shamima Muslim acknowledged that government has begun to demonstrate commitment through initiatives such as the Ghana Infrastructure Plan and recent road and corridor upgrades, but she stressed that long-term progress requires cooperation across the entire ecosystem.
“What government has shown is a willingness to show up, invest, and collaborate. But this journey requires all hands. Innovators, investors, regulators, and educators must commit to a shared vision,” she said.
Looking Ahead
The evening celebrated African innovators shaping new possibilities in technology, digital services, and local enterprise. Yet the core message resonated throughout the room: Africa’s digital future must be built deliberately.
To advance digital sovereignty, she said, the continent must expand broadband access, strengthen education, support local manufacturing and technology ecosystems, invest in reliable infrastructure across regions, and adopt policies that encourage innovation.
Africa’s digital independence, she concluded, will not be given. It must be built.
