Data Governance

Rwanda has emerged as one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 8% over the past five years, driven by domestic demand, public investment, and productivity gains across key sectors. The country is also recognised as sub-Saharan Africa’s longest-standing digital innovation performer. From the Global Innovation Index 2025, Rwanda ranked 10th among 32 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and 1st among low-income economies, as well as 1st among the 11 economies in the low-income group that have performed above expectations for their level of development for over a decade. 
Internet access in Rwanda has expanded steadily in recent years, although digital inclusion remains uneven.
According to DataReportal’s Rwanda 2023 report, the country had an estimated 4.25 million internet users at the start of 2023, representing 30.5% of the population. More recent ITU data from mid-2025 indicates that internet users had further increased to approximately 5.5 million, representing 38% of the population. These reflect Rwanda’s accelerated progress in digital connectivity and inclusion; the country’s Vision 2050 agenda and the more recent ICT Sector Strategic Plan (2024–2029) envisage a future where citizens, businesses, and government systems are fully integrated into a digital economy

South Africa ranks as Africa's largest economy and maintains strong global economic
integration through G20 and BRICS membership. The country's economic foundations
were established through protective industrial policies, institutional support structures, and state-owned enterprises that developed critical infrastructure and productive capacity. South Africa also stands out as one of the continent’s leading innovation hubs. In the Global Innovation Index 2025, the country ranked 2nd among 32 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, showing relatively strong performance in areas such as research institutions, financial markets, knowledge production, and technological readiness. This position highlights the country’s comparatively maturing innovation ecosystem

Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa and ranks as the tenth-largest population in the world. Ethiopia has made significant investments in data-driven initiatives to achieve a knowledge-based economy. Digital Ethiopia 2025 is a comprehensive document developed by the government that provides guidelines for leveraging digital technologies for the transformation of the Ethiopian economy into one that is inclusive, secure, and positioned to thrive. This strategy document outlines a clear implementation plan, relying on stakeholder expertise, increased investments in technology, and subsequent monitoring and evaluation that aligns this strategy with Ethiopia’s development ambitions. 

Egypt’s young and vibrant population has the potential to play a pivotal role in the digital transformation initiative of the Arab Republic. Adolescents and youth account for about one-third of the over 100 million Egyptian population, providing a potentially favourable demographic for rapid digital development. The Egyptian government recognises this potential and is introducing strategies and developments to realise a “D igital Egypt”. For example, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy 2030 ( ICT 2030) is expected to focus on improving public service delivery through e-governance initiatives, developing capacity and digital literacy, and improving research and innovation by encouraging collaborative efforts by public and private organisations. ICT is recognised as the fastest-growing sector in Egypt and contributed about 5.8 percent to GDP in the past year. Although these are steps in the right direction, more work needs to be done for digital development to reach the desired state in Egypt.

The resource-rich but landlocked Southern African Republic of Zambia is a country whose population is sparsely distributed across its relatively large land mass but concentrated in urbanised areas. Zambia’s digital landscape is evolving, presenting both advancements and challenges to achieving comprehensive digital transformation. As of 2021, about 21 percent of the 20 million Zambian citizens were actively using the internet.