Transform Africa Summit 2020

Integrating Africa

About the Transform Africa Summit

Africa’s future lies in its young and growing population. It is now critically important to get goods moving more easily across borders; transport, energy and telecommunications to connect more people across boundaries; people to move more freely across frontiers, and capital and production to move which will boost Africa’s economic growth and competitiveness.

Regional integration is a development priority for Africa.

For Africa to thrive, digital technologies will be a game-changer on how they access global markets, foreign technology and investments, benefit from the economies of scale brought about by regional integration, maximize the welfare of the continent as a whole. Harmonized policy and regulatory frameworks are also required to nurture digital markets by facilitating labour and data mobility.

Theme | TAS2020: Integrating Africa

Africa’s population is increasing exponentially and is expected to reach between 1.379 billion and 1.486 billion by 2025. This presents a future of business opportunities with a market place of 54 countries and a growing consumer purchasing power. There is a need for getting things moving freely across the whole of Africa. Getting goods to move more easily across borders; transport, energy and telecommunications to connect more people across more boundaries; people to move more freely across frontiers, and capital and production to move which will boost Africa’s economic growth and competitiveness.

Regional integration is a development priority for Africa. Supply chains and connectivity are the key factors to the continent’s economic growth. As Africa still lags behind the rest of the world in its digital transformation, and in spite of a growing number of innovative solutions, the ongoing lack of adequate infrastructure and connectivity is preventing the continent from realizing its true economic potential which is why Smart Africa is committed to transform Africa into a single digital market by accelerating sustainable socio-economic development on the continent through affordable access to Broadband and usage of ICT.

The African unity has long been a cherished but a difficult goal to achieve. However, a single African market is finally in sight as a result of the African Continental Free Trade Area which will bring together fifty-four (54) African countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than US $3.4 trillion. The digital economy has the potential to accelerate existing pan-African integration efforts by fostering intra-regional growth in trade and employment as well as leveraging the transformational power of technology towards increasing productivity in all sectors. The best and fastest way to achieve this goal, may lie in heightened partnerships. All Africans, not just policy makers and decision makers, have a role to play in making integration a reality for the continent.