By 2050, Africa's population is projected to reach approximately 2.5 billion people. By the end of the 21st century, the African continent will account for 40.6 per cent of the world's working age population, underscoring an urgent need to create at least 20 million new jobs annually. These demographic transformations present both opportunities and challenges for EU-Africa cooperation under both the Mattei Plan and Global Gateway frameworks. For Africa in particular, the digital sector has the potential to drive innovation, spur economic growth, empower rural communities, foster continental integration and accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063. At the same time, Africa's digital transformation is sparking discussion over asymmetric power relations that mirror past historical injustices. With majority of digital infrastructure, platforms and services originating either in China, North America and to a lesser extent Western Europe, questions around technological dependency, lack of transparency, data sovereignty and the risks of perpetuating "digital colonialism" have come to the fore. The EU-Africa digital partnership under Mattei Plan and Global Gateway frameworks can serve as catalysts for strengthening African agency by enhancing digital governance frameworks, investing in targeted capacity-building programmes and mobilising resources to bridge infrastructure and financing gaps.
This edited volume aims to provide rigorous analysis of the main challenges and opportunities for digital cooperation and partnership between the EU and Africa through two key European policy instruments, the EU Global Gateway and Italy's Mattei Plan. The volume situations EU-Africa digital partnership within a broader digital landscape increasingly being shaped by geopolitical and geo-economic rivalry among global powers enabling informed analysis of the EU-Africa partnership on the global geopolitical chessboard. The analysis focuses on four macro-themes: (i) digital governance frameworks and policy, (ii) technological control and data sovereignty, (iii) digital infrastructure gaps, and (iv) opportunities and challenges for Italy-EU-Africa digital partnership going into the future. Furthermore, the book delves into the current state of global digital landscape from the perspectives of both Africans and Europeans and contains nuanced and targeted recommendations for strengthening the EU-Africa digital partnership.
