By Raphael NKOLWOUDOU AFANE, Doctor of Law & Legal Ops Officer.
What if our pan-African dream of a unified digital market evaporated with every power outage? While digital experts gather in Conakry for the Transform Africa 2025 summit, a stubborn reality persists: harmonizing continental rules on an electrical grid that knows only disorder is impossible. The latency of digital services, the scourge that turns a simple online transaction into an obstacle course, is just the visible symptom of a deeper issue – energy precarity. Yet, in a continent bathed in sunshine 300 days a year, it is inconceivable that photovoltaics, for example, is not the priority axis of our energy projects, especially with the technological and financial capacities that China offers.
The 15th session of the African Regulators Council (CAR-15), organized on the sidelines of the Transform Africa Summit 2025, marks a decisive step in the quest for an integrated African digital market. Regulators from across the continent come together to harmonize regulatory frameworks, promote interoperability, and stimulate innovation. Regulatory harmonization is no longer an option but a necessity to build the digital Africa of tomorrow. It requires strong political will and close coordination among all actors – public authorities, regulators, and the private sector. It is one of the key levers to promote a competitive and innovative continental digital market.
But a crucial question remains: how to build a digital market without energy?
An energy deficit that hinders digital growth
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over 80% of the global electricity access deficit. According to the World Bank, nearly 600 million Africans live without electricity (2020 figures), and those who have access must deal with aging infrastructure, frequent outages, and high costs. This energy deficit has direct consequences on digital services:
• High latency and connection instability, especially in rural areas.
• Server failures and service interruptions, affecting mobile payment platforms, online public services, and healthcare applications.
• Increased operating costs for digital service companies, forced to invest in generators or hybrid solutions.
Endless loading times, interrupted transactions, stuttering video conferences – these latency states are not a technical inevitability, but a glaring reflection of our energy deficiencies. How can we talk about regulatory harmonization on a continental scale when our data centers struggle to stay powered, when digital industrial zones operate at a snail’s pace, and when startups have to include generators in their business plans?
Cameroon: a revealing case
In Cameroon, power outages are common. SMEs in the digital sector must equip themselves with generators to maintain their activities. E-commerce and fintech platforms experience interruptions that undermine user trust. In rural areas, the lack of electricity prevents access to digital services, further deepening the digital divide. In fact, during my last stay in Abidjan, we noted that many Cameroonian startups are relocating to Ivory Coast where the power supply is less unstable.
For an integrated strategy: energy + digital
This energy deficit is all the more paradoxical as Africa has exceptional solar potential. While some regions of the world struggle to find optimal sunlight surfaces, our continent is abundant in this free resource. Photovoltaics should be at the heart of our energy strategy, especially since China, a global leader in the sector, shows a growing interest in collaborating with Africa in this field.
The solution is within reach: we believe that the Smart Africa Alliance, in its bold commitment to accompany Africa towards the knowledge economy through affordable access to high-speed internet and the use of digital services, should promote a strategic alliance between African public authorities, the private sector, and Chinese experts in solar energy. This collaboration could take the form of:
• Transboundary solar parks powering digital corridors
• Technical training programs with skills transfer
• Concessional financing for micro solar grids
• Incentive tax policies for photovoltaic self-consumption
Digital integration cannot succeed without an ambitious energy strategy. It is imperative that African states:
• Coordinate digital and energy policies, involving regulators from both sectors.
• Invest in renewable energies, especially solar and hydroelectric, to power technological hubs.
• Create cross-incentives for investors in digital and energy infrastructure.
Artificial intelligence, catalyst or mirage?
Africa wants to leverage AI to transform its economies. But AI requires high computing power, efficient data centers, and continuous electricity supply. Without energy, AI will remain inaccessible to the majority of the continent.
Conclusion: a dual urgency
Africa cannot content itself with harmonizing its digital rules. It must synchronize its digital ambitions with an energy revolution. CAR-15 is a step forward, but it must be followed by a continental pact for digital electrification. Because without energy, African digital will be nothing but an economic mirage. Indeed, the harmonization of digital rules in Africa will only be effective when we have solved the energy equation. As the sun shines for all without discrimination, it is time to make it the sole fuel of our digital revolution. With China as a technological partner and our decision-makers gathered in Conakry, the opportunity is historic to make photovoltaics the cornerstone of our energy and digital independence.
Call to action:
To participants of Transform Africa Summit 2025: let’s make 2026 the year of solar energy for African digital. The natural light of our continent must finally power our digital light.
