Cameroon summit to address digital government interoperability challenges in Africa

A digital government summit dubbed E-Gov'A , scheduled for October 14 to 17 in Yaounde, Cameroon, is expected to discuss how efforts can be accelerated and coordinated to establish fully connected, interoperable, secure, and accessible digital public service delivery systems in Africa. E-Gov'A, an abridgment for E-Government Africa, is organized by Yaounde-based digital transformation-focused publication, Digital Business Africa (DBA), and Smart Click Africa, an association promoting digital development. The CEO of DBA, Beaugas-Orain Djoyum, in an interview with Biometric Update , emphasized the urgency of moving away from fragmented to interoperable systems, the role of trusted digital public infrastructure (DPI), the importance of regional frameworks, and the participation of international delegations from trailblazing countries in digital government such as Estonia. According to Djoyum, the primary objective of the Yaounde summit is to create a platform where "governments, public institutions, technology companies, financial institutions, development partners, industry experts, universities, and startups can work together on practical solutions for the digital transformation of public services in Africa." He stated that as it stands, many African administrations have already launched or are in the process of launching online platforms to facilitate services in the area of taxation, social security, civil registration, identity documents, business creation, customs procedures, and public administration. "However, these initiatives have often remained fragmented as citizens are, in many cases, still required to submit the same information to several state institutions or forced to produce paper documents that already exist in government databases," he said. A forum held in Yaounde last month restated the call for an interoperable digital government system . This, Djoyum said, is the key issue that will underpin discussions during the summit, which is planned under the theme "E-Governance and Artificial Intelligence: Building Efficient Public Services in a Cashless and Paperless Africa." "A paperless administration is not merely one that scans documents. It is an administration that is capable of designing its processes so that services can be requested, processed, approved, and delivered digitally from the beginning to the end." "Similarly, a cashless administration should enable citizens and businesses to pay taxes, duties, social contributions, and administrative fees electronically through secure and interoperable payment systems," he added. Regional interoperability efforts He also made an assessment of digital transformation efforts within the Central African sub-region, which by the assessment of institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), is the least digitalized. Djoyum agreed with that assessment, but noted that there has been some “genuine progress”, even if systems remain largely fragmented. He mentioned that in the sub-region, many countries, including Cameroon, have introduced digital tax services, electronic visas, biometric identity systems, digital customs platforms, online business registration, and mobile payment services. Cameroon launched a new biometric ID system last year. Gabon unveiled its own in July 2024. "But these initiatives are not yet sufficiently interconnected enough to form the kind of coherent and citizen-centered digital ecosystem that is needed to fully drive the economies of these countries," he remarked. The DBA CEO said for now, the problem is that in many cases, ministries and public agencies develop their platforms independently, which means that a citizen may therefore have one identifier for taxation, another for social security, a different one for telecommunication services, and yet another for civil registration. "Government databases are not always able to communicate securely, and citizens are still frequently asked to submit information or documents that another public institution already holds," he said. Data harmonization features in the digital government agenda of countries such as Ghana and Nigeria . As Djoyum explained, the challenge for Central Africa now is for governments to put in place effective measures to be able to move from the digitalization of individual institutions to the digital transformation of the state as an integrated system. This, he noted, requires the putting in place of a trusted DPI, a strong cybersecurity wall around it, as well as an effective personal data protection mechanism. "This regional dimension will be strongly reflected at E-Gov'A 2026. Discussions are currently underway with public institutions and stakeholders from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Gabon requiring their participation. "Our ambition is to make E-Gov'A a practical platform through which Central African countries can compare their processes, share solutions, and identify areas where greater interoperability and regional cooperation are possible." Trust infrastructure According to Djoyum, it is not enough to build DPI; it is necessary to make them coherent, interoperable and citizen-centred. And even when this is achieved, the next important thing is to make trust the anchor of such a national digital ecosystem. "Cameroon should develop a national digital public infrastructure strategy built around three foundational layers. The first is a secure and inclusive digital identity, the second is an interoperable digital payment layer, the third is a secure government data-exchange platform," he said. "The objective should not be limited to producing a physical biometric identity card. Citizens also need a trusted means of proving their identity online. Every transaction should be traceable, secure and automatically reconciled with the relevant public institution." Estonia's example to emulate Djoyum disclosed that one of the distinguishing features of E-Gov'A will be the participation of Estonia, a country widely recognized as one of the world's most digitally advanced and a global reference in digital government. It achieved 100 percent digital government status in 2024. "Estonia's presence is particularly important to us because the country has demonstrated how secure digital identity, interoperability between public databases and strong institutional coordination can transform the relationship between citizens and the State," he said. Many African countries have been exploring digital government partnerships with Estonia. "Its experience shows that digital government is not simply about putting administrative forms online. It is about building a trusted digital ecosystem in which public institutions can exchange authorized information securely and provide simple, fast and largely paperless services." "Estonian experience will be especially valuable for Cameroon and other Central African countries as they consider how to build their own digital public infrastructure. The objective is not to reproduce the Estonian model mechanically, but to identify the principles and solutions that can be adapted to African realities." Djoyum also mentioned that the E-Gov'A event will, among other things, feature a Hackathon which will give students from universities and higher education institutions across Cameroon the opportunity to develop a digital solution to a concrete problem faced by a public institution.