The 2nd Edition of the Africa wide Connected Africa Summit, part of the 14 Connected Summit series, was recently hosted at the Diamond Leisure Lodge Beach & Golf Resort in Diani, Kenya. The summit convened ICT leaders and innovators from across the continent to discuss strategies that continue to influence Africa’s digital transformation agenda. The goal was clear; to shape the continent’s digital transformation journey and turn vision into reality.

Building on the strong foundation of previous editions, this year’s summit focused on forging collaborative pathways for leveraging technology to address critical development challenges, foster innovation and unlock the full potential of a digitally inclusive Africa. Through keynote addresses, high-level panel sessions and strategic networking engagements, participants shared insights, case studies and emerging trends that will define Africa’s digital future.

One of the highlights of the forum was the keynote delivered by Mr Leonard Mabele, Research Officer at AFRALTI, who addressed the topic “Building the Backbone: Fibre Data Sharing Models and Regional Harmonisation for Seamless Connectivity.”

Mr Mabele’s presentation underscored the urgent need for infrastructure models that transcend borders and silos. He emphasised that for Africa to truly benefit from the digital revolution, countries must adopt data sharing frameworks that encourage interoperability and regional alignment. He highlighted the importance of cross-border fibre interconnection and proposed collaborative models that ensure redundancy, affordability and efficiency of network access across the continent.

In his words, “Connectivity must not stop at national borders. A harmonised approach to fibre infrastructure is the only way we can create an integrated digital ecosystem that supports education, health, trade and innovation at scale.”

A call to action from the summit, AFRALTI invites regulators, service providers, research institutions and policymakers to deepen engagement around open access infrastructure and regional integration. The time to act is now. By pooling resources, aligning standards and sharing data infrastructure, Africa can fast track its digital transformation and deliver real impact to its people.