APN Welcomes Africa Forward Summit’s Focus on Digital Transformation

Africa Prosperity Network welcomed the strong focus on digital transformation and artificial intelligence during the Africa Forward Summit, while calling for urgent action to accelerate continent-wide digital integration and mobile money interoperability across Africa.

In a statement issued following the summit, APN praised African leaders for emphasizing the importance of Africa’s digital future, inclusive innovation, and alignment with African Union frameworks and strategic priorities.

However, the organization stressed that implementation remains the continent’s biggest challenge, arguing that African governments must now move beyond declarations and adopt coordinated actions capable of transforming digital ambitions into practical economic outcomes.

APN identified two immediate priorities requiring urgent attention. The first is the accelerated implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, adopted in 2024 as part of efforts to deepen continental economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

The organization noted that many African countries have yet to operationalize the protocol and urged governments to develop practical implementation roadmaps covering cross-border e-commerce, digital identity recognition, and harmonized data governance systems.

The second major priority highlighted by APN is continent-wide mobile money interoperability. The organization described mobile money as Africa’s most successful digital finance innovation but warned that fragmented payment systems continue to restrict cross-border trade, remittances, small business growth, and broader economic integration.

According to APN, global mobile money transactions surpassed two trillion US dollars in 2025, with Africa accounting for approximately 66 percent of the total transaction value worldwide.

The statement added that Africa processed an estimated 1.43 trillion dollars in mobile money transactions during 2025 alone, while around 1.2 billion mobile money accounts are currently registered across the continent, representing more than half of all global accounts.

APN argued that despite these achievements, Africans still face significant obstacles when attempting to send and receive payments seamlessly across borders.

The organization therefore called on African governments, central banks, regulators, fintech firms, and payment platforms to work together toward a fully interoperable continental mobile money ecosystem capable of supporting free movement of trade, services, investment, and people.

APN said enabling Africa’s population of 1.5 billion people to transact freely using mobile wallets would significantly boost intra-African trade, logistics, transportation, and economic integration.

The organization also emphasized that creating a digitally borderless Africa could rapidly expand e-commerce, digital healthcare, job creation, and economic opportunities for the continent’s fast-growing youth population.

APN stated that it remains ready to support implementation tracking, dialogue, and private-sector engagement to ensure the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol delivers tangible benefits for businesses, women, youth, and underserved communities across Africa.

The group also urged Africans to support its campaign for faster economic integration, noting that more than 120,000 people have already signed a petition backing deeper continental integration efforts.