| Approval Date | 15 Sep 2022 |
| Signature Date | 17 Nov 2022 |
| Planned Completion Date | 30 Dec 2025 |
| Last Disbursement Planned Date | 31 Dec 2026 |
| Sovereign / Non-Sovereign | Sovereign |
| Sector | Communications |
| DAC Sector Code | 22020 |
| Environmental Category | 3 |
| Commitment | U.A 7,000,000 |
| Status | Approved |
The proposed project seeks to contribute to the development of Africa’s digital economy, an essential substrate for inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth on the continent. The project will make a substantial contribution to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (DTS). The latter remain decisive tools available to the continent for recovery, resilience and sustainability of African economies severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The project will accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and create a conducive and supportive policy and regulatory environment to boost intra-African digital trade and achieve a common digital market in Africa by 2030. It will contribute to the implementation of digital enablers (universal access to broadband infrastructure, sovereign African cloud, African digital market, etc.), e-commerce and digital trade promotion programmes for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Startups. The rationale for the Bank’s involvement in this project is to play a catalytic role and help RMCs unlock their digital transformation potential. The project has an implementation timeline of 45 months, at a cost of UA 7.882 million and targets all the RMCs.
The overall objective of this project is to strengthen the frameworks (strategic, policy, regulatory and conceptual) and cross-cutting (gender, climate change and resilience) dimensions for the development of Africa’s digital economy. These frameworks are key substrate to guide the establishment of a single digital market across the continent by 2030. Therefore, the project will contribute to the implementation of digital enablers (universal access to broadband infrastructure, sovereign African cloud, African digital market, etc.), e-commerce and digital trade promotion programmes for MSMEs and Startups, and conducive ecosystem for digital trust, skills and African experts’ networks. It will support the implementation of the AfCFTA, which is a key tool available to African economies that have been severely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The project’s target population is estimated approximately at 1.4 billion people living across Africa. The RMCs have since 1stJanuary 2021 launched a single market that is operational under the auspices of the AfCFTA. This market has a combined gross domestic product (GDP) estimated at US$3.4 trillion and includes a single digital market. The RMCs through the RECs will be the direct beneficiaries of the project. Indirect beneficiaries include public and private entities (Regulatory bodies, Telcos, MNOs, Central/National Banks, MSMEs, Startups, etc.) engaged in the digital transformation agenda of African countries.
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Extending
Government of Multinational
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Funding
African Development Fund
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Implementing
COMMISION DE UNION AFRICAINE
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| IATI identifier | 46002-P-Z1-GB0-035 |
| Last Update | 24 Mar 2023 |
| Name | Samatar OMAR ELMI |
| s.omarelmi@afdb.org |