The gathering focused on how inclusive and accessible digital infrastructure can create greater opportunities for young people across Africa. It also provided Wave with an opportunity to showcase its financial inclusion mission at one of the continent’s leading sports and cultural events.

Taking place shortly after the Africa CEO Forum, the Business Brunch further reinforced Kigali’s position as a hub for discussions on growth, innovation, and African leadership. For Wave, the event highlighted the growing connection between youth culture, entrepreneurship, digital finance, and economic inclusion.

The panel featured prominent figures including BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, Wave Mobile Money Regional Director and Head of Public Affairs Coura Tine Sène, Bank of Kigali CEO Dr. Diane Karusisi, and Rwanda’s Minister of State for ICT and Innovation, Yves Iradukunda. Discussions explored how cultural platforms, financial infrastructure, institutional investment, and supportive public policies can work together to promote youth entrepreneurship and inclusive growth.

Wave emphasized the importance of providing simple, reliable, and affordable financial services to support the ambitions of Africa’s increasingly entrepreneurial youth. Whether they are content creators, business owners, athletes, or innovators, access to suitable financial tools remains a key driver of progress.

“Across Africa, the next generation is creating its own opportunities, building businesses, and contributing to the continent’s economic transformation. Our mission is to make financial services accessible enough to support this momentum every day,” said Coura Tine Sène. She also noted that Wave’s partnership with the BAL helps connect financial inclusion with entrepreneurship, culture, and youth ambition.

Beyond brand visibility, Wave aims to contribute to the strategic conversations shaping Africa’s economic future. The company seeks to expand economic participation for students, informal sector workers, entrepreneurs, creators, and emerging talents.

The discussions also underscored the importance of stronger collaboration between governments, financial institutions, private sector players, and cultural platforms. As Africa’s digital economy continues to grow rapidly, sustainable inclusion will depend on bridging the gap between innovation, access to services, and the real needs of communities.

Through its involvement in basketball and youth-focused initiatives, Wave views sport as a powerful platform for engagement and impact. This approach enables the company to embed its mission in spaces where young Africans learn, create, innovate, and build their futures.

For Wave, financial inclusion goes far beyond access to an account or payment service. It means integrating simple, reliable, and affordable financial solutions into people’s daily lives to support their projects, businesses, and aspirations.

By participating in this high-level discussion, Wave Mobile Money reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the links between sport, culture, innovation, and economic inclusion, with the goal of delivering meaningful impact across African communities.

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The agreement was signed by Attia Byll, Chief Executive Officer of SIN, and Justine Adebiyi, Chief Executive Officer of ST DIGITAL Togo, marking a major collaboration between two key players in Togo’s digital ecosystem.

On one side, SIN operates the Lomé Data Centre, a Tier III-certified infrastructure accredited by the Uptime Institute, with a service availability rate of 99.982%. On the other, ST DIGITAL positions itself as a leading provider of sovereign cloud solutions, artificial intelligence, and software engineering services across West Africa.

The partnership will notably enable the hosting and processing of local companies’ data within Togolese territory. ST DIGITAL’s vision is to reduce dependence on foreign infrastructures while enhancing the security and control of strategic data.

In practical terms, the collaboration will focus on several key areas, including the deployment of competitive cloud and artificial intelligence services, as well as the strengthening of local expertise through continuous training programs.

With the ambition of positioning the Lomé Data Centre as a leading digital hub in West Africa, the new targeted service offering is expected to enhance Togo’s attractiveness to businesses while supporting the emergence of a stronger local digital ecosystem.

According to Attia Byll, the partnership will help democratize access to high-quality digital services. She explained that the objective is to allow both large corporations and small businesses to benefit from solutions tailored to their needs and financial capacities.

“Our partnership with ST DIGITAL today is about ensuring that individuals or companies that cannot afford to rent half a rack or an entire rack for data hosting can still access a suitable and affordable service,” she stated.

For her part, Justine Adebiyi emphasized that the agreement goes beyond a simple commercial partnership. According to her, the collaboration should contribute to positioning Togo as a regional model for digital transformation and data sovereignty.

Present in several Central and West African countries, ST DIGITAL develops solutions focused on digital transformation, operational process optimization, and next-generation cloud infrastructures.

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Known as DoctaMob, this e-health solution, recently launched in Lomé, positions itself as a super app inspired by international platforms such as Doctolib while being specifically designed to address local healthcare needs and realities.

Available on both Android and iOS, the application enables users to book medical appointments, locate nearby healthcare facilities, find on-duty pharmacies, request ambulance services, and arrange home healthcare visits. It also offers teleassistance features and remote medical guidance.

DoctaMob’s primary objective is to digitize the patient journey and make healthcare services more accessible. The platform aims to address key challenges within the healthcare system, including long waiting times for consultations, the lack of centralized health information, and mobility constraints faced by many patients.

Ensuring the reliability of services is another core component of the project. According to the platform’s promoters, healthcare professionals must provide supporting credentials and undergo a verification process before their profiles are approved. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other practitioners are therefore listed only after verification, helping to reduce the risk of fraudulent profiles and uncertified services.

The initiative is part of the growing healthtech ecosystem in West Africa. Similar to platforms such as Rivia in Ghana, ASKcare in Senegal, and Kénèya Koura in Mali, a growing number of startups across the region are leveraging the widespread adoption of smartphones, mobile money, and digital technologies to improve healthcare access through telemedicine, medical geolocation services, and the digitalization of healthcare delivery.

Beyond the Togolese market, DoctaMob has regional expansion ambitions. Its founders plan to gradually roll out the platform in other African countries facing similar challenges related to healthcare access and the coordination of medical services.

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YAS Togo achieved a total score of 70,146 points, outperforming Canalbox, which recorded 65,754 points. This result marks a significant turnaround, as Canalbox had maintained the top position in both 2023 and 2024.

A closer look at the metrics reveals that YAS Togo leads across nearly all key performance indicators, with the exception of latency. The operator posted average download and upload speeds of 45 Mb/s and 14.83 Mb/s, respectively, compared to Canalbox’s 39.69 Mb/s and 9.42 Mb/s.

In terms of web browsing performance, YAS Togo recorded a success rate of 52.85%, ahead of Canalbox’s 48.31%. The same trend is observed in video streaming performance on YouTube, where YAS Togo achieved a success rate of 71.37%, significantly higher than Canalbox’s 64.98%.

However, Canalbox retains a competitive edge in latency, with an average response time of 12.95 milliseconds, compared to 22.50 milliseconds for YAS Togo.

Regionally, the Togolese subsidiary of Axian Telecom ranks 4th out of 18 operators assessed, while Canalbox Togo holds the 8th position.

Despite these improvements, the regulator highlights a paradox: the quality of experience for fixed internet services remains below that of mobile networks, even though fiber technology is expected to deliver superior speeds and overall performance.

Indeed, in 2025, Togo’s two mobile operators secured the top two positions in the nPerf QoE rankings across the Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine (UEMOA) region.

In light of these findings, the regulator commended ongoing efforts by internet service providers but urged them to intensify investments in infrastructure and service optimization to deliver a more consistent and satisfying user experience.

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The organisation’s current crisis, largely tied to a dispute involving approximately 6.2 million IPv4 addresses assigned to Cloud Innovation Ltd, is therefore not a routine technical disagreement. It represents a broader challenge involving sovereignty, institutional resilience and the integrity of global internet governance.

A Dispute with Systemic Implications

Public records indicate that AFRINIC allocated these addresses to Cloud Innovation Ltd, a Seychelles-registered company linked to Chinese businessman Lu Heng, under a Registration Service Agreement. AFRINIC later alleged contractual breaches and initiated procedures to recover the resources. What followed was an extensive legal battle in Mauritius, with Cloud Innovation disputing these claims in court.

Regardless of the legal outcome, the scale of the issue is undeniable. A single entity has effectively placed a substantial portion of Africa’s remaining IPv4 resources at the centre of an institutional standoff. This raises concerns not only about compliance, but also about the structural vulnerabilities of the current allocation system.

Global Alarm Bells

The situation has drawn attention from key actors in global internet governance. The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) highlighted risks to the stability of the registry system, noting that legal actions had even affected AFRINIC’s financial operations. ARIN also observed that most of the disputed IP addresses appeared to be routed outside Africa, particularly through networks in Hong Kong and the United States though such claims remain contested.

Similarly, in July 2025, ICANN underscored that internet number resources are held in trust for the global community and must not be treated as private assets. Its position reinforced a core principle: Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) exist to allocate resources based on policy, not to enable their concentration or commodification.

Scarcity and the Rise of a Market Logic

At the heart of the crisis lies a deeper issue IPv4 scarcity. Since the exhaustion of the global IPv4 pool in 2011, these addresses have increasingly taken on economic value. While originally distributed based on operational need, they are now frequently traded or leased, creating incentives for speculative behavior.

Africa, historically under-allocated in IPv4 resources, is particularly vulnerable in this environment. With less than 6% of global IPv4 space, the continent already faces structural limitations. When millions of addresses become entangled in disputes or are used predominantly خارج the region, the impact is immediate: higher costs, slower network expansion and increased reliance on external markets.

Governance Under Pressure

The AFRINIC case illustrates how legal, economic and governance dynamics can intersect. The RIR model relies on trust, policy compliance and regional stewardship. Yet, as scarcity intensifies, these principles are increasingly challenged by market-driven strategies and legal manoeuvres.

Leasing practices, in particular, complicate oversight. While they allow operational use of IP space, they can also separate control from accountability, raising questions about whether resources are being used in line with their intended purpose.

A Strategic Parallel

This situation echoes patterns seen in other strategic sectors, such as critical minerals. Just as control over extraction and processing can shape global power dynamics, control over digital resources like IP addresses influences connectivity, innovation and economic autonomy.

Africa’s experience in the mineral sector often characterised by external control over high-value stages of production offers a cautionary parallel. Without strong institutional safeguards, similar asymmetries could emerge in the digital sphere.

Beyond the Legal Battle

The AFRINIC crisis ultimately goes beyond a contractual dispute. It highlights the fragility of governance systems when confronted with scarcity, financial incentives and legal pressure. It also raises broader geopolitical questions, particularly regarding the role of international actors and the responsibility of states whose nationals are involved in such disputes.

The Path Forward

Addressing this challenge requires a multi-layered response. In the short term, protecting AFRINIC’s operational stability is critical. In the medium term, resolving disputes over resource allocation potentially including the return of misused address space will be key to restoring trust.

Longer term, Africa must strengthen its digital governance frameworks, ensuring transparency, accountability and resilience. This includes reinforcing compliance mechanisms within AFRINIC and engaging more actively in global internet governance discussions.

A New Frontier of Sovereignty

The lesson is clear: in today’s digital economy, sovereignty is not only defined by physical assets but also by control over invisible infrastructures. IP addresses, though intangible, are strategic resources.AFRINIC’s current challenges serve as a reminder that safeguarding these resources and the institutions that manage them is essential for Africa’s digital future.

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Conceived as an all-in-one platform, this innovation aligns with a broader strategy to simplify, streamline, and democratize access to digital services.

A Platform Designed for Everyday Simplicity

In a context where consumer expectations are evolving rapidly, YasApp positions itself as a practical response to challenges related to accessibility, speed, and security. The application centralizes essential telecom services within a single, intuitive digital interface.

From real-time account management and instant top-ups to secure transactions, usage tracking, and personalized offers, every feature has been crafted to deliver a seamless user experience.

According to Solim Pitassa, Head of Digital and Webmaster, “the new application enables customers to instantly access all their services from a single device, including credit purchases, subscription to plans, and transaction management—without the need to travel.” This promise directly addresses the growing demand for autonomy and efficiency among users.

Security and Data Protection at the Core

Beyond its functionality, YasApp reflects a broader vision: a more human-centered, inclusive digital ecosystem that empowers users. Available 24/7, the application allows customers to manage their services freely and independently.

Security, however, remains a central pillar. Amen Kotokou, Product Development Specialist, emphasized that “data protection and security were at the heart of the development process, with rigorous testing conducted by experts to ensure a reliable and accessible application.” He further noted that the goal is to provide a simple, secure, and rewarding user experience that fosters stronger engagement.

Incentives to Drive Adoption

To accelerate user adoption, YasApp introduces several attractive benefits. A welcome package offers 1 GB of data valid for one day, while a referral system allows users to earn additional megabytes. With up to two referrals per day generating 500 MB each, the platform creates a compelling incentive structure for growth and engagement.

A Strategic Vision Driven by Leadership

For Pierre-Antoine Legagneur, CEO of Yas Togo, the launch represents a strategic turning point: “YasApp is an all-in-one solution that meets current market demands. It enhances autonomy, accessibility, and simplicity, reflecting our ambition to be an innovative brand that stays close to its users while looking toward the future.”

Strengthening Market Position in Africa

Already recognized for delivering the best mobile internet experience in Togo and across the UEMOA region, Yas Togo is reinforcing its leadership through innovation and customer-centric solutions. With YasApp, the company is not merely introducing a new application—it is redefining how telecom services are consumed in a rapidly digitizing society.

Behind this momentum, Axian Telecom plays a pivotal role by supporting the development of robust and sustainable digital ecosystems.

Clear, fast, and secure, YasApp is far from a gimmick—it addresses a real need. And it raises a compelling question: could the future of telecom in Togo simply lie in an app within everyone’s pocket?

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Banks, electronic money institutions, microfinance institutions, and payment service providers have been given until June 30, 2026, to complete their integration into the system, according to the central bank’s latest directive.

Launched on September 30, 2025, the PI-SPI platform enables real-time transactions, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is designed to facilitate seamless digital payments among financial actors within the Union, while significantly reducing transaction costs and processing times.

As of April 2, 2026, a total of 80 institutions across the region are already connected to the platform. These include 59 banks, nine electronic money institutions, 11 microfinance institutions, and one payment institution. In parallel, 42 additional entities are currently undergoing live testing, with deployment expected in the near term.

The BCEAO has called on all remaining stakeholders to accelerate both technical and administrative preparations in order to meet the established deadline. The objective is to ensure full regional coverage and guarantee effective access to payment services for end users.

This initiative forms part of a broader strategy to modernize financial infrastructure within UEMOA. It aims to deepen financial inclusion by expanding access to digital payment services for individuals and businesses alike.

While enhanced interoperability is expected to boost economic exchanges across the Union, the announcement also reflects a firmer stance by the central bank in driving adoption. This approach addresses ongoing hesitations among certain operators, often linked to structural and economic constraints.

Ultimately, the interoperability framework is poised to create a unified payments market within UEMOA—lowering costs, improving financial inclusion, and strengthening regional economic integration. Despite the steady rise of electronic payments, the ecosystem remains fragmented among banks, fintech companies, and mobile network operators, underscoring the importance of this transformative initiative.

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Africa accounted for nearly 66% of the global transaction value, which reached $2.091 trillion (+23% year-on-year). Out of a global total of 125 billion mobile money transactions, the continent represented about 74%, equivalent to nearly 92 billion transactions (+16% compared to 2024).

Furthermore, the report highlights that Africa hosts 52% of mobile money accounts worldwide. By the end of 2025, the continent had approximately 1.2 billion accounts (+18% year-on-year), including 347 million active monthly accounts, out of a global total of about 2.3 billion accounts (+13%), with 593 million active within 30 days. Africa therefore remains the epicenter of mobile-based finance. However, this success reveals an increasingly visible contradiction: while the service is expanding rapidly, its full adoption and real impact on populations remain constrained.

Barriers to Inclusion

The first barrier is material. The World Bank notes that 84% of adults in developing countries own a mobile phone, yet about a quarter still use basic devices more affordable but limited in functionality and lacking internet access. Only two-thirds of adults own a smartphone capable of accessing applications and browsers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this figure drops to 33%. The primary reason cited for not owning a smartphone remains its cost. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) similarly identifies affordability particularly of devices as a major obstacle to digital adoption across the continent.

The second barrier is cognitive. The GSMA’s 2026 report clearly identifies low levels of digital financial literacy as a major constraint. In countries where adoption gaps persist, the figures are striking. In Ethiopia, among those aware of mobile money but without an account, 60% of women and 54% of men report not knowing how to use the service; 45% of women and 50% of men struggle with using a phone or fear making mistakes. In Egypt, this barrier affects 21% of women and 15% of men, while in Nigeria it affects 22% of both women and men. Equipment constraints also play a role: in Ethiopia, 24% of women surveyed cite the lack of a SIM card or phone as a key barrier.

Beyond a Service: A Human Impact Challenge

The paradox is clear: mobile money initially thrived on basic mobile phones. Today, however, its next phase requires more advanced tools. Use cases have expanded significantly, with service providers increasingly relying on super apps rather than USSD codes to deliver greater value: bill payments, government social transfers, micro-insurance, microcredit, and micro-savings.

The fastest-growing segments are merchant payments, which rose by 42% to $155 billion in 2025, and interoperable transfers between banks and mobile wallets, totaling $167 billion. In other words, the sector has moved beyond simple peer-to-peer transfers and entered a more sophisticated phase, where users must navigate interfaces, QR codes, virtual cards, security protocols, and transaction verification. Without appropriate devices and basic digital skills, a significant portion of the population risks being confined to the most basic uses, while the ecosystem evolves toward more complex services.

This divide also has a social and gender dimension. Without access to adequate devices and digital skills, millions of Africans remain excluded from the full benefits of mobile money. In low- and middle-income countries, GSMA estimates that women are 14% less likely than men to use mobile internet, leaving 885 million women offline, nearly 60% of whom live in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. This raises the risk of a two-tier financial inclusion system, unevenly distributed in practice.

Unlocking the Full Potential

Unlocking the full potential of mobile money in Africa requires more than commercial expansion. The response must be industrial, educational, and regulatory. The ITU advocates for more affordable entry-level smartphones, facilitated purchasing through microcredit or installment payments, and lower costs for devices and data. It also calls for the integration of basic digital skills into education systems and training programs.

Similarly, GSMA emphasizes the importance of targeted digital financial literacy initiatives, particularly for women, rural populations, and older adults. The World Bank underscores that cost, usability, and security must be addressed simultaneously.

Ultimately, the real challenge for Africa is no longer to prove that mobile money works, but to ensure that everyone can truly use it.

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The government adopted a decree approving the National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF), which follows amendments made in 2023 to the Radio Regulations by the International Telecommunication Union during the World Radiocommunication Conference.

Preparing for 5G and High-Altitude Platforms

The updated plan aims to align the country’s spectrum management with the latest developments and future trends in telecommunications, particularly the expansion of 5G networks.

According to the Council’s statement, the plan includes the identification of additional frequency bands to support the deployment of 5G services and high-altitude platform systems. It also introduces a new information transmission system for maritime safety, allocates additional spectrum to aeronautical mobile services, and establishes regulatory frameworks for inter-satellite communications.

Under the supervision of the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP), the PNAF is typically structured as a detailed table listing frequency bands (such as 700 MHz or 2.1 GHz), the services assigned to them (including fixed, mobile, broadcasting, and satellite services), and the public authorities responsible for their management.

For the government, the reform represents not only an update to the 2022 regulatory framework but also a step toward aligning Togo’s telecommunications governance with international standards.

Toward the Future of Connectivity

Emerging technologies such as 5G still expanding globally are expected to become a cornerstone of future telecommunications infrastructure, enabling significantly higher data speeds and increased network capacity for users.

Togo has positioned itself as an early mover in West Africa’s 5G rollout. Commercial services were first launched in November 2020 by Togocom, primarily in the capital, Lomé.

However, challenges remain. The deployment of 5G is still limited to strategic urban zones, while 4G continues to dominate and remains the backbone of mobile internet access for the broader population.

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On Friday, March 6, the country officially inaugurated the African Digital Transformation Center (ADTC) in Pretoria. The center is hosted within The Innovation Hub, the innovation agency of the Gauteng Province, which serves as one of the country’s leading technology clusters.

The ADTC is designed as a platform dedicated to technological innovation, digital skills development, and the growth of African start-ups. Through this initiative, the center aims to support tech entrepreneurs, strengthen the capabilities of public institutions, and foster collaboration between governments, universities, and private-sector stakeholders. The broader ambition is to help position the continent not only as a consumer of technology but also as a producer of digital solutions tailored to its unique realities.

According to the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, the country’s commitment to digital transformation is supported by several key policy frameworks. These include the National Digital Economy Masterplan, the draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy Framework, initiatives related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and broader alignment with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030).

A Strategic Partnership with the ITU

The project is led by the South African Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union. The UN specialized agency launched the Acceleration Centers initiative in 2023 with the objective of strengthening local capabilities to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness through digitalization.

Out of the 18 centers included in the ITU’s global acceleration network, seven will be located in African countries: Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

These centers will provide training programs, mentorship opportunities, and tailored support for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the technology sector.

When announcing the initiative in 2023, Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the ITU, stated that the network would enable countries “to take well-considered and concrete steps to unlock innovation for sustainable digital transformation.”

Beyond supporting entrepreneurs, the ADTC also aims to assist African governments in designing public policies that encourage digital innovation and strengthen the continent’s technological ecosystem.

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