As African cities expand at an unprecedented pace, digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in helping them manage growth, improve service delivery and stimulate economic activity.
Dubai-headquartered Yango Group believes technology companies have a significant role to play in building these connected urban ecosystems.
In an interview with ITWeb Africa, Adeniyi Adebayo, chief business officer at Yango Group, outlines the company's long-term vision for Africa and explains why he believes digital infrastructure, rather than standalone applications, will be essential to supporting the continent's urbanisation and digital economy.
Yango develops digital infrastructure for modern urban life, with services spanning mobility, delivery, logistics, entertainment, AI assistants and business technologies.
The company says it aims to make fragmented city services more accessible, reliable and connected through technology.
Operating in more than 35 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Central Asia, Yango has steadily expanded its African presence as part of its broader strategy to invest in digital ecosystems tailored to local market needs.
According to Adebayo, the company's approach combines global technological expertise with deep local adaptation in every market in which it operates.
He argues that African cities need integrated digital infrastructure rather than isolated applications.
"Apps usually solve one specific problem for one specific user: booking a ride, ordering food or arranging a delivery. Digital infrastructure is broader: it connects services, data, businesses and public-sector needs into systems that can operate at city scale.
"For African cities, this distinction is critical. Urban growth cannot be managed through isolated apps alone. Cities need connected digital systems that improve mobility, support commerce, generate useful data for planning and make everyday services more efficient."
Adebayo says mobility data also has an important role to play in helping city authorities make better planning decisions.
"Mobility data can help understand how cities work and move. Aggregated and anonymised data can show where demand is concentrated, where supply is insufficient, where congestion emerges and where public transport infrastructure could be improved.
"This helps city authorities make more informed decisions on routing, traffic management, transport access and long-term urban planning."
He believes collaboration between governments and technology companies will be critical to building smarter cities.
"No single organisation can solve urban challenges alone. Public-private collaboration is essential. Governments set priorities, regulations and long-term city plans, while technology companies can bring data, tools and operational expertise.
"When both sides work together, digital infrastructure can be better aligned with real public needs, from mobility and congestion management to SME growth and access to services."
Beyond digital infrastructure, Adebayo says Yango is investing in developing local digital skills across Africa.
"Through mobility, delivery, AI solutions and data-driven tools, we help businesses and cities operate more efficiently. At the same time, we invest in future talent through STEM programmes and hackathons across African markets.
"For example, Yango's STEM initiative has recently expanded to Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal, while our partnership with Zindi, the largest professional network for data scientists in Africa, supports practical data science challenges."
While the pace of urbanisation across Africa presents significant challenges, Adebayo believes it also creates an opportunity to build digitally connected cities from the ground up, provided governments and the private sector work together to develop the necessary infrastructure.
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