African Union, AU, has urged the continent’s leaders to invest in the digital economy, saying with more than 60 per cent of Africa’s population under 25, internet penetration has become essential.

They also expressed dismay over the fragmentation of frameworks, policies and standards across Africa, saying it was limiting cross-border collaboration and preventing businesses from realising the full potential of the continent’s digital market.

However, they commended the conveners of the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium for drawing global attention to Africa’s digital transformation and the imperative of data sovereignty and digital identity at the 2025 General Assembly of the United Nations, UN, in New York.

The representatives spoke at the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium themed: ‘Advancing Africa’s Digital Transformation: Inspiring Action, Accelerating Growth, Accelerating Impact,’ held at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York.

Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Selma Malika Haddadi, in her address, said the world stands at the crossroads of Africa’s digital destiny, adding that the AU’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030) was helping to make that transition a reality.

She said: “By 2030, we aim to establish an African Digital Single Market that improves the lives of our people, accelerates regional integration, and ensures that Africa is not just a consumer of digital technologies but also a creator and innovator in the global digital space.”

On fragmentation limiting cross-border collaboration, she said: “The African Union Commission is addressing this challenge by developing comprehensive foundational architecture that harmonises our continental approach.”

Also speaking, Founder and Executive Director of the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium, Hannah Awuku, said the goal of the programme was to mobilise capital, foster cross-border collaborations, and showcase homegrown solutions driving growth from Lagos to Nairobi, Accra to Cape Town.

Awuku said: “Our convening could not be more timely. Africa’s digital economy is surging with unprecedented momentum, projected to contribute over five per cent to GDP by the end of 2025. With more than 60 per cent of its population under 25 and increasing internet penetration, the continent is poised to leapfrog traditional development challenges through innovations in mobile money, agritech, and healthtech.”

Meanwhile, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Finance Corporation, AFC, Samaila Zubairu, said: “The digital economy is not optional for Africa – it is vital. It is the backbone that will allow our entrepreneurs to innovate, our businesses to compete, and our young people to create the jobs of tomorrow.

“Our message tonight is simple: with the right governance and the right capital, Africa can leapfrog into the digital future. The examples of MainOne and Itana show what is possible. The challenge now is to scale them across the continent. If we act with urgency, Africa will not just consume technology, we will produce it, export it, and shape the global value chains of tomorrow.”

On his part, Executive Chairman of the KGL Group and former Board Chair of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, GIPC, Alex Apau Dadey, said: “The challenge before us is not whether change is possible, but how quickly and inclusively we can harness it. The answer, I believe, lies in the strength of partnerships—genuine, strategic Public-Private Partnerships that unite the innovation, capital, and execution capacity of the private sector with the legitimacy, reach, and enabling authority of governments.”

In addition, Chief Executive Officer of the African Peer Review Mechanism, Ambassador Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre, said: “For Africa, this is a powerful reminder that frontier technologies can be used to leapfrog bureaucracies and drive new forms of integrity.”