The African Union (AU) has again underlined the importance of its comprehensive digital strategy.

Hailed as Africa’s blueprint for digital transformation, The AU document spells out the continent’s aim to leapfrog traditional stages and fully propel Africa to participate in the fourth industrial revolution.

The 55 member states of the AU have agreed to prioritise digitally empowering all Africans and enhance their quality of life across the by 2030.

To achieve this goal, the AU developed the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) to not only provide a common and coordinated guide to enable African leaders to reap the benefits of digital transformation, but to also help mitigate the risks that might accompany these developments.

Some of the key objectives of the 61-page strategy document include providing affordable and accessible high-speed internet to all Africans, developing local digital content and services, and implementing harmonized policies and regulations to stimulate digital transformation.

The Fintech Association of Kenya (FINTAK), who has adopted the AU digital transformation plan, highlighted its vision of generating economic growth and plans to ensure Africa’s position as a producer in the global digital economy.

Kenya's financial revolution body underlines that the AU plan would use technology to positively impact some of the continent’s key sectors.

“The strategy emphasises digital skills development, cybersecurity, and the digitalization of critical sectors such as agriculture, health, and education,” says FINTAK.

Other key objectives include building a Digital Single Market by 2030, providing affordable and accessible high-speed internet to all Africans, developing local digital content and services, and implementing harmonized policies and regulations to stimulate digital transformation.

The strategy seeks to build on existing initiatives and frameworks in Africa and bring together key players in the ICT sector across Africa to achieve its objectives.

Furthermore, the AU emphasizes that Governments have a responsibility to create an enabling environment with policies and regulations that promote digital transformation.

“Political commitment at the highest level, ensuring stability and predictability of the policy environment, promoting a sustainable environment for the private sector to invest, adopting regulatory best practice and stimulating demand for digital solutions are all part of the enabling environment,” says the AU.

It further implores policymakers and regulators to keep pace with advances in technology, address the new regulatory frontiers and create the foundation for digital transformation to achieve its full potential.

“Being prepared for digital transformation and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine to Machine communications (M2M) and 5G is fundamental,” reads part of the strategy.

The AU Commission, through this strategy, acknowledges that the Internet is an essential tool and a dynamic force for economic, social and cultural development.

It highlights that several preconditions must be met for Africa to realize its much-aspired digital transformation and be a globally competitive continent. The main one is investment in and cultivation of highly skilled people, as producers, consumers and innovators of digital technologies.

“The supreme currency in the digital age are people and their skills. With appropriate and coordinated human and institutional capacity development strategy, Africa’s most precious asset, the youth who constitute 60% of the overall population, can be remodeled, harnessed, empowered and transformed into a digitally adaptive, skilled and innovative workforce,” reads the AU strategy.

The AU Commission correctly spells that there is an African digital skills gap

“This gap widens when the gender gap is included. In addition, a youth “bulge” will result in 375 million young people entering the labour market by 2030. Ensuring the widespread availability of digital skills which allows individuals and businesses to harness the opportunities and guard against the risks of the digital economy is fundamental.”

According to the Digital Transformation Strategy, technology and innovation have been the major forces of progress in the world in recent years in terms of poverty reduction, human development, growth and competitiveness of national economies in the 21st Century.

It is thus imperative that Africa has its own clear and harmonised digital strategy that keeps pace with the rest of the world.