In a cautionary but hopeful address at the Cambridge Africa Business Conference, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s former Vice President and digitalization trailblazer, issued a bold warning: Africa must seize the reins of the Fourth Industrial Revolution or risk becoming digitally colonized.
“The market capitalization of Microsoft alone exceeds Africa’s total GDP. That should be a wake-up call,” Bawumia declared. “We cannot afford to just be users of digital technology. We must become creators, regulators, and protectors of our own digital destiny.”
Bawumia stressed that while Africa is witnessing explosive mobile and internet penetration—combined with a fast-growing youth population—these demographic advantages could be squandered without serious investment in digital infrastructure, education, and policy frameworks. “Africa must own its data, define its standards, and train its people in AI, coding, and cybersecurity,” he said.
He outlined how Ghana’s digital strategy has begun to pave the way for this vision. From building ICAO-compliant IDs that double as e-passports to developing payment systems ready for cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ghana is aligning its systems with global standards while prioritizing domestic control.
The recent implementation of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), which allows countries to trade using local currencies without routing through third-party economies, was highlighted as a pivotal step toward economic independence.
Bawumia ended on a call for urgency and unity. “Africa’s digital future is not pre-determined. We must forge it—deliberately, boldly, together, and now.”
