The Africa CEO Forum has launched a new leadership programme to push digital public infrastructure (DPI) to the centre of Africa’s development agenda. The initiative, called the LEAD programme, brings together 40 senior civil servants from 24 African countries to strengthen public policy and economic governance.
At its first retreat in Rabat, Morocco, participants agreed to prioritise DPI—covering digital identity, instant payments, and data-sharing systems—as the foundation for inclusive growth. The move comes as South Africa assumes the G20 presidency and promotes its own Digital Transformation Roadmap, setting the stage for broader continental coordination on digital systems.
“Digital Public Infrastructure today represents for Africa what roads and ports were a century ago,” said Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum. “We want to empower a new generation of policymakers to accelerate the development of sovereign, digital foundations.”
The LEAD programme draws lessons from Brazil’s PIX payment system and India’s Aadhaar biometric ID, both of which are credited with expanding financial access and improving public service delivery. Participants will continue their work through policy papers, webinars, and collaboration with government partners to advance Africa’s DPI agenda.
Backed by the Africa CEO Forum and partners including Afreximbank, UM6P, BADEA, and the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, the programme aims to build a network of reform-minded public leaders. Speakers at the retreat, including Morocco’s Economy Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui and former AfDB President Donald Kaberuka, urged African states to invest in digital infrastructure as a core driver of transformation.
