OUR ISSUES

INNOVATION & DIGITAL POLICY

OUR ISSUES

INNOVATION & DIGITAL POLICY

Overview
Innovation and digital solutions provide immense opportunities for Africa to transform its economies and societies. In some areas – such as mobile money – Africa is already a global leader, but to leverage its potential, African countries need well-informed and equitable digital policies. The continent lags the rest of the world in connectivity, data ownership, privacy and security, digital infrastructure, and broader digital strategies.

Our work on digital policy and innovation is done in partnership with the private sector, civil society, and the African and global development community. We focus on the need for robust digital strategies, strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, advancing critical digital infrastructure, and enhancing digital skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our research, policy advice, and advocacy support African governments to design good innovation and digital policies.

Key Contacts
Rob Floyd

Director, Innovation and Digital Policy

Programs

EXPLORING AI SOLUTIONS FOR ECONOMIC POLICYMAKING IN AFRICA

ACET launched this multi-year, multi-country research and policy project in April 2024 with support from IDRC’s AI for Development in Africa and with a wide array of partners. The project explores innovative models and ideas for applying artificial intelligence to real-world African policy contexts.
Q&A on project launch and objectives
Background learning note on country selection process:

Read Learning Note | Download Learning Note (PDF)

Pillars

Digital Strategies and Frameworks

We support digital and innovation policy development, help governments address barriers to innovation, and develop strategies in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, data ownership, cybersecurity, e-governance, digital finance, and industrial innovation.

Innovation Ecosystems

We facilitate dialogues between innovation and digital stakeholders to create opportunities for knowledge-sharing and collaboration, particularly between business and the public sector and between academia and research institutions. We also advise on incentives and approaches to elevate the role of entrepreneurs and innovation hubs across the continent.

Digital Infrastructure

We research regional solutions to infrastructure development that increase connectivity, trade, and targeted investment. We also provide advisory services for improved investment environments and investment policies to address Africa’s digital infrastructure gap.

Skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

We support initiatives that increase digital, STEM, and TVET skills while assessing new skills development models and policies. We contribute to ongoing regional efforts that support innovation scholars and engage with universities in Africa and beyond. We also seek to build the capacity of the youth and private sector to leverage 4IR technologies for industrial innovation.

Innovative Finance

We are helping to expand Africa’s voice on global financial architecture issues such as debt, climate finance, and multilateral development bank reform through knowledge exchange, ground-breaking research, and advocacy.
Amplifying Africa's Voice Initiative $

Featured Reports & Studies
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Reports

Artificial Intelligence for Economic Policymaking: The Frontier of Africa’s Economic Transformation

This report was designed to assess the viability of using artificial intelligence (AI) to inform inclusive and sustainable economic, financial and industrial policies in Africa and to help identify where traditional and non-traditional data exists and where there are gaps.

4IR AI

African Transformation Report

African Transformation Report 2021: Integrating to Transform

Economic transformation is at the center of Africa’s development agenda, but progress is slow. Too many countries are working in isolation. The solution lies in coming together.

Climate Labor Mobility Regional Public Goods

Featured Insights & Ideas
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Articles

Africa’s Strategic Role in Strengthening Global Governance

The 10th session of the Amplifying Africa’s Voice Initiative convened on March 28, 2024, focused on Africa’s concerted effort to assert its influence in the global financial governance landscape.

global financial architecture Governance

Commentary

Exploring AI Solutions for Economic Policymaking and Transformation in Africa
Rob Floyd, Director for Innovation and Digital Policy at ACET, discusses the launch of a new three-year, multi-country research and policy project to help African governments harness the opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI) offers to inform fiscal and monetary policy—and...

AI digitalization Featured Governance

Policy Briefs

International Finance Reforms: Collaborative Actions for Greater Impact in Africa

Africa is making bold moves to drive the global finance reform agenda. To maintain the momentum in 2024, African financial institutions must work together more effectively and deploy more resources to meet Africa’s development needs.

Featured global financial architecture

Commentary

Great Opportunities Lie Ahead for Data Governance in Africa. So Do Great Challenges.
This year is shaping up to be highly consequential for data governance in Africa. In February, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital trade protocol was adopted at the African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit, and the AU...

AI digitalization Featured Governance

Policy Briefs

Innovation meets Growth? Navigating the Digital Landscape in Ghana

Digitalization is the “use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities”. Digital technologies now permeate all aspects of the economic and social fabric of both developed and emerging economies.

digitalization innovation Technology upgrading

Articles

A Preview of Upcoming Research on MDB Reform from Think Tanks Across the Globe
The World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) are undertaking major reforms so they can more effectively meet today’s global challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness. But the discussion has been dominated by high-income countries, rather than by...

Governance green industrialization Resource Mobilization

Articles

Amplifying Africa’s Voice: The role of Climate Finance and Blended Finance

The seventh meeting of African think-tanks under the Amplifying Africa Voices Initiative, held on November 13, 2023 and convened by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), focused on the role of African institutions in global financial reforms

Climate global financial architecture Governance

Commentary

Let’s Be More Ambitious about Africa’s Artificial Intelligence Future

AI offers great opportunities and challenges for Africa. The international community and African stakeholders need to be more ambitious.

AI digitalization Governance

Articles

Amplifying Africa’s Voice: Advancing Research Agendas at African Policy Institutes

The December meeting was a review of research from the initiative at different stages: already published and ongoing. It allowed participants to share diagnostics, compare different countries and situations, and propose shared solutions in the future.

Climate Featured Governance

Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events at this time.
Past Events
13
Nov
2023
Amplifying Africa’s Voice Dialogue: African institutions and global financial reforms
Amplifying Africa’s Voice Dialogue: African institutions and global financial reforms
All Day Event Virtual Events debt global financial architecture Leadership

This virtual dialogue is part of the Amplifying Africa’s Voice initiative, which supports a process of engagement, knowledge-sharing, research, and advocacy with a select group of African economic policy institutes and thought leaders. African think tanks and a number...

07
Nov
2023
Celebrating Prof. Benno Ndulu's Contributions and Driving Digital Transformation
Celebrating Prof. Benno Ndulu's Contributions and Driving Digital Transformation
10:30 am - 12:00 pm Africa/Accra Virtual Events digitalization Governance Leadership

ACET and the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University are organizing an invitation-only, virtual event that celebrates the life of Benno Ndulu and explores the book Driving Digital Transformation: Lessons from Seven Developing Countries from Benno, Elizabeth...

News & Media
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Press Releases

Rob Floyd joins the Transformative Innovation Africa Hub Advisory Board
The Transformative Innovation Africa Hub (TIAH), a platform for advancing transformative technology policy and supporting science and technology ecosystems in Africa, has appointed Rob Floyd, Director for Innovation and Digital Policy at the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), to...

innovation Leadership

Press Releases

ACET and ConvergenceAI announce partnership to advance AI in Africa

Accra, October 2, 2023 – The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) and ConvergenceAI have signed an MoU to collaborate on advancing economic transformation and harnessing the power of AI as a catalyst for positive change on the continent.

4IR Agriculture AI

Press Releases

ACET joins the Datasphere Initiative as an in-kind project partner

The Datasphere Initiative is thrilled to announce that the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) has joined the Datasphere Initiative as a project partner. The organizations will join forces to drive forward the Africa Forum on Sandboxes for Data.

peer learning Regional Public Goods

Press Releases

Africa-Europe Cooperation: A Dialogue on Digitalization

African and European policy institutes are joining forces to contribute to a robust dialogue between Europe and Africa on the digital agenda at a workshop and public event on June 6-7.

digital single market Regional Public Goods Technology upgrading

Press Releases

Rob Floyd joins ACET as Director for Innovation and Digital Policy

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Floyd as Director for Innovation and Digital Policy.

AI Infrastructure

Press Releases

ACET Launches Africa’s First AI Challenge for Infrastructure

ACET and Omdena launch a global challenge that aims to use AI to predict future infrastructure needs in Africa

4IR AI Infrastructure

Press Releases

Innovations to enhance smallholder market access must be supported by effective policies – ACET report

Innovations to enhance market access for smallholder farmers and upgrade value chains in an inclusive manner must be supported by effective formulation and implementation of policies

Agriculture Technology upgrading

Press Releases

ACET roundtable to focus on right-skilling African workforce

Stakeholders from various sectors will on Tuesday 16 July convene at a policy roundtable to be organised by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in Lagos, Nigeria, to explore […]

4IR

Experts
Deepak Adhikary

Senior Fellow

Nabila Aguele

Senior Fellow

Kofi Agyen

Senior Fellow

Alhassan Atta-Quayson

Fellow

Sajitha Bashir

Senior Fellow

Blaise Bayuo

Senior Fellow

Edward K. Brown

Senior Director, Research, Policy & Programs

Richard Carey

Senior Fellow

Chux Daniels

Senior Fellow

Rob Floyd

Director, Innovation and Digital Policy

Sanjeev Gupta

Senior Fellow

Julius Gatune Kariuki

Senior Fellow

Eugenia Kayitesi

Fellow

Robin McLay

Senior Fellow

Judith Mwaya

Senior Fellow

Yaw Nyarko

Senior Fellow

Fayez S. Omar

Senior Fellow

Bayo Oyewole

Fellow

Marysue K. Shore

Fellow

Klaus Tilmes

Senior Fellow

Tsidi M. Tsikata

Senior Fellow

Hasan Tuluy

Senior Fellow

Rogier van den Brink

Senior Fellow

Frederica (Freda) Yawson

Senior Manager

Partners
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