Security Risks in Africa's Digital Public Infrastructure

As African nations accelerate their investments in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including digital ID systems, payments platforms, and data exchange mechanisms, the promise of greater inclusion, efficiency, and innovation is often paired with significant and under-addressed risks. At the heart of these risks lie pressing questions: Who controls the data? How is it managed? Who benefits? And crucially, who is protected?

This session explores the double-edged nature of DPI development in Africa, with a focus on the intersections between data governance, procurement practices, and cybersecurity. While DPI is increasingly positioned as the backbone of Africa’s digital transformation, supporting everything from cash transfers to cross-border trade, the foundational systems that underpin it are frequently procured or operated through fragmented, underregulated, or externally controlled arrangements.

We will examine the implications of:

Weak or incomplete legal and regulatory frameworks, which often lag behind the pace of technological change.

Limited enforcement capacity, especially in ensuring compliance with data protection and cybersecurity protocols.

External dependencies, including over-reliance on foreign vendors for software, hosting, and critical infrastructure, which raises concerns about data sovereignty and long-term sustainability.

Procurement-stage blind spots, where key decisions about infrastructure design, access rights, and data governance are made without sufficient public oversight or transparency.

Drawing from real-world examples—including MOSIP-based ID systems, national data exchanges like Uganda’s UGHub, and fintech ecosystems such as Ghana’s mobile money infrastructure—this session will analyze how DPI systems can either reinforce or undermine public trust. We will explore case studies where vendor lock-in, lack of secure-by-design standards, and opaque data-sharing practices have created vulnerabilities to surveillance, exclusion, and cyberattacks.

At the same time, the session highlights promising opportunities to build a resilient, people-centered DPI. This includes promoting:

Secure-by-design procurement guidelines that embed cybersecurity and data protection at the outset.

Interoperability standards that allow for flexibility and regional integration while protecting privacy.

Capacity-building initiatives within governments to reduce reliance on external actors and improve digital governance.

Policy harmonization efforts, such as the AU’s Data Policy Framework and the Malabo Convention, to strengthening cross-border data flows and shared cybersecurity protocols.

Ultimately, this session invites participants to reframe DPI not simply as a technical or developmental tool, but as a governance challenge that demands public accountability, transparency, and democratic oversight. By confronting the risks and making data security a pillar, not an afterthought, of digital public infrastructure, African nations can chart a path toward trustworthy, inclusive digital futures.