India Africa

India and Africa are building a robust and evolving partnership, particularly in the realm of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which holds tremendous potential to boost socio-economic development across the continent.

Africa’s Digital Transformation:

• Africa Day (May 25) marks the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, symbolizing Africa's pursuit of unity, independence, and sustainable development.

• Digital Transformation Strategy (2020-2030): The African Union (AU) has placed digital innovation at the heart of its development agenda. A key achievement is that 85% of African countries now have national ID systems with digital features. Additionally, over 70% of African countries are now collecting biometric data for authentication, highlighting a growing digital infrastructure across the continent.

India’s Role:

India’s engagement with Africa has long been based on a combination of state-led financing, capacity-building, and the promotion of technology-driven solutions. India’s evolving approach focuses not just on technology transfer, but on co-creating digital systems that are adaptable and community-oriented.

Key Points:

1. Promoting DPI as a Digital Public Good: India has pushed the concept of DPI as a non-surveillance, open-source alternative to proprietary or state-controlled models, emphasizing state collaboration over mere technology transfer.

2. Technology-Centric Model: India is transitioning to a model focused on technology co-creation, which includes launching the Pan-African e-Network in 2009 to deliver telemedicine and tele-education via satellite and fiber-optic infrastructure.

3. Governance-Centric Model: India is actively collaborating on DPI ecosystems, such as the Aadhaar system (India's biometric ID), UPI (Unified Payments Interface), CoWIN (COVID-19 vaccination platform), and DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing in education), tailoring these solutions to African countries’ specific needs.

4. Development-Centric Model: Indian solutions are open, scalable, and affordable, making them highly attractive for African countries looking to advance their digital infrastructures.

Recent India-Africa Digital Collaborations:

1. Togo (2021): Partnered with IIIT Bangalore to implement a national digital ID system using open-source platforms.

2. Zambia (2023): Collaborated with India’s Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure to support Zambia’s Smart Zambia Initiative, which seeks to digitize government services.

3. Namibia (2024): Signed an MoU with India’s NPCI to build a UPI-style instant payment system, strengthening digital financial services in the country.

4. Ghana: Working on linking its domestic payment system with UPI, facilitating seamless transactions between India and Ghana.

5. Zanzibar: IIT Madras is setting up its first overseas campus in Zanzibar, focusing on AI, Data Science, and other cutting-edge fields to further integrate education with digital development.

India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) on Global Digital Equity:

India, Brazil, and South Africa, as members of the G20 Troika, have emphasized the importance of DPI in bridging global inequality. Their joint declaration calls for open, modular, interoperable, and scalable digital systems that are inclusive and adaptable core principles that guide India’s engagement with Africa.

Challenges to Transformation:

While the potential for digital growth in Africa is vast, several challenges remain:

1. Infrastructure Deficiencies: Many African nations lack broadband access, with only 22% of the population using mobile internet. There is also a pressing need for reliable energy systems to power digital ecosystems.

2. Affordability: High mobile data costs make digital services inaccessible to a large portion of the population, especially in rural areas.

3. Digital Divide: A large rural-urban gap, coupled with a gender gap in digital literacy and access, hinders equitable growth.

4. Digital Literacy Gaps: A lack of technical skills among many populations prevents them from fully utilizing digital tools.

5. Regulatory Barriers: Inconsistent policies across African nations can slow down the seamless integration of digital technologies.

Way Forward

India can contribute significantly to Africa’s digital future by addressing the key challenges outlined above through a variety of strategic initiatives:

1. Capacity-Building and Skill Development: Leveraging initiatives like Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and the Pan-African e-Network Project, India can help strengthen local capacities in areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

2. Ethical & Inclusive Growth: India’s approach prioritizes co-development rather than imposing rigid frameworks. Working with African governments on data protection, cybersecurity, and policy alignment ensures that the digital transformation is ethical, secure, and respects local governance.

3. Strengthening Infrastructure: India has invested $12 billion in concessional credit, supporting more than 200 infrastructure projects across Africa, ranging from railways to rural electrification. This investment in connectivity and power infrastructure is critical for a thriving digital ecosystem.

4. Promoting Sustainable Digital Trade: As Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, India can foster financial inclusion and cross-border trade by linking African economies to India’s digital payment systems, such as UPI.

Conclusion:

India’s collaboration with Africa on Digital Public Infrastructure holds transformative potential, not just for Africa’s economic development, but also for building a more inclusive digital future. As India continues to offer affordable, open, and scalable solutions, its role as a key partner in Africa’s digital transformation will only grow. The next steps will involve overcoming infrastructure, affordability, and policy barriers while ensuring that digital tools remain accessible, inclusive, and adaptable to local contexts.