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African Entrepreneurs: The digital economy will contribute more than 5% of the continent’s GDP by 2025

African leaders and entrepreneurs called for leveraging digital technologies for economic growth and improved public services, with a focus on data governance and public-private partnerships, to ensure Africa’s digital future is built collaboratively and sustainably. Inspiring Action, Accelerating Growth, and This came during a symposium titled “Towards 
Digital Africa: Inspiring Action, Accelerating Growth

Inspiring Action, Accelerating Growth, and Accelerating Impact” held at Nasdaq MarketSite, the commercial marketing arm of Nasdaq, on the sidelines of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

African leaders and entrepreneurs emphasized that Africa’s digital economy is experiencing unprecedented momentum and is expected to contribute more than 5% of the continent’s GDP by the end of 2025, with more than 60% of its population under the age of 25. With increasing internet penetration, the continent is poised to overcome traditional development challenges through innovations in mobile financial services, agritech, and healthtech.

For her part, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Salma Malika Haddadi, in her speech, emphasized that the world stands at a crossroads of Africa’s digital destiny, adding that the Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) helps make this transformation a reality. She noted that by 2030, we aim to create a unified African digital market that improves the lives of the continent’s people, accelerates regional integration, and ensures that Africa is not just a consumer of digital technologies, but also a creator and innovator in the global digital space.

Hannah Awuku, Founder and Executive Director of the Forward Africa Leaders Forum, said, “Our goal is to advance Africa’s digital ecosystem through strategic partnerships, bold investments, inclusive innovation, capital mobilization, cross-border collaboration, and local solutions that drive growth on the continent.” 

Samaila Zubairu, CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), emphasized the need for Africa to succeed in building a vibrant digital economy, explaining that the digital economy is not optional for Africa, but rather vital and the backbone that will allow our entrepreneurs to innovate, our companies to compete, and our youth to create the jobs of tomorrow.

He also explained that at the Africa Finance Corporation, he witnessed this potential firsthand when the institution supported the MainOne broadband project. Today, MainOne operates financial services, e-commerce, education, and creative industries across the region and was acquired by Equinix, a global leader in digital infrastructure. This demonstrates Africa’s ability to build world-class assets—assets that attract global capital and create opportunities at scale.

“If we move quickly, Africa will not only consume technology, but will produce and export it, shaping the global value chains of the future,” he said