Why Africa’s Digital Economy Must Deliver Real Value — Imade

A leading digital economy and technology expert, Imade Bibowei-Osuobeni, has said that despite the fact that digital economy has been assessed largely by connectivity metrics and the expansion in broadband infrastructure, it was no longer enough to determine true inclusion or participation.

Speaking on the evolving nature of the digital economy, Bibowei-Osuobeni noted that connectivity was never intended to be the final outcome of digital transformation.

“Without connectivity, participation in the digital economy is impossible. Reach matters, and it still does,” she said. “But connectivity was never the outcome. It was the starting point.”

As digital systems mature across Africa and other emerging markets, she argued that the conversation must shift from access to outcomes.

According to her, the real measure of digital inclusion lies in what people are able to do once they are connected.

“We need to ask who is learning, who is earning, and who is able to build and grow value using digital tools,” he stated.

Bibowei-Osuobeni explained further that, “Those are the signals of real participation.”

She observed that despite increased online visibility, many people remained economically marginal. While they actively use digital platforms to communicate and consume content, they were still excluded from the economic benefits the digital economy promises.

“Presence has expanded, but opportunity has not kept pace,” she said.

Bibowei-Osuobeni identified the way digital inclusion is commonly framed as a key challenge, noting that it is often treated as an end state rather than a process.

“Too often, digital inclusion is treated as an end state. Once people are connected, success is declared,” she said. “But access only brings people into digital spaces. Inclusion is the process that happens after connection. It is what enables people to actually move forward.”

She warned that when progress is measured mainly by reach, systems are allowed to stop short.

Infrastructure may be deployed and connections counted, even when access does not translate into improved livelihoods, economic security, or long-term opportunity.

At the centre of her argument is the concept of meaningful use, which she described as the point where digital infrastructure begins to deliver tangible value.

“Meaningful use is where access becomes productive,” she said. “It is where digital tools start supporting learning, income generation, and value creation.”

Without this shift, Bibowei-Osuobeni cautioned that digital systems risked reinforcing existing inequalities rather than reducing them.

“If being online is treated as participation, exclusion becomes harder to see,” she said. “People can appear included in reports while remaining absent from real economic power.”

Looking ahead, she said the next phase of the digital economy must be defined by outcomes rather than inputs.

“The real test is not how many people are connected, but how many are able to participate fully and sustainably. That requires a different way of measuring success.”

According to her, the challenge now goes beyond expanding access to ensuring that digital systems create real pathways into economic participation.

“Reach brings people online,” she added. “Impact is determined by what happens next.”

Bibowei-Osuobeni is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Circuits, Africa’s premier virtual cinema platform, which delivers Pan-African entertainment to a global audience while supporting creators and young people in the creative economy.

She is also the founder of Tech Herfrica, a social impact organisation focused on closing the digital and financial gap for women and girls in rural Africa through digital and financial literacy, access to tools and markets, and economic opportunities