During the panel “Scaling, Securing, Engaging: Voices Shaping Africa’s Digital Growth,” moderated by Akim Benamara, Founder & Chief Editor of TechAfrica News, three experts—Catherine Njari (Safaricom), Jérôme Dutoit (Cafeyn & Kidjo), and Eric Tiberghien (Digital Virgo)—shared their unique perspectives from across the digital value chain.
Originally covered by TechAfrica News, this curated article highlights the key insights from that conversation, through the lens of Digital Virgo’s strategic priorities
From Access to Relevance: The Next Chapter of Africa’s Digital Journey
Africa has already entered the digital age. With over 520 million mobile subscribers and mobile-first usage dominating the landscape, the challenge is no longer about access, but about designing services that are relevant, trusted, and sustainable.
As Catherine Njari (Safaricom) put it, relevance is key:
“We need to understand what the customer wants—not just push content blindly.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jérôme Dutoit, who emphasized the importance of local fit: content, pricing, formats, and payment methods must reflect African realities. According to him, Africa offers immense potential, but only for those willing to go beyond “copy-paste” strategies.
Digital Virgo’s Vision: Localized, Secure, and User-Centric
Representing Digital Virgo, Eric Tiberghien highlighted the importance of tailoring digital services to the unique expectations of each market. From the successful launch of Ethio Arena with Ethio Telecom to service deployments across 40+ countries, our approach is rooted in three pillars:
- The Right Product – answering real user needs
- A Smooth Customer Journey – transparent, intuitive, and supportive
- Ecosystem Sustainability – built with regulatory responsibility
“Africa is not a country. It’s 50+ markets with distinct cultures. What works in Ghana may not work in Botswana” Eric reminded the audience.
He also stressed the role of trust as the true digital infrastructure. From secure billing flows to self-care platforms, Digital Virgo prioritizes transparency and user control. In Morocco, for example, our work with Orange reduced support response times by 40%.
The Need for Regulation, and Responsibility
One of the session’s key takeaways: digital trust cannot thrive without clear standards. In many African markets, regulatory frameworks remain limited or nonexistent. In such contexts, Digital Virgo advocates for self-regulation and collaborative governance, drawing on models like WASPA (South Africa) and ARCEP (Burkina Faso).
Partnerships at the Core of Sustainable Growth
Strong partnerships were unanimously identified as the foundation for scaling digital services in Africa. From telcos to content providers, aligning around shared goals—user satisfaction, localized innovation, and long-term impact—is essential.
“Success in Africa depends on co-creating value, not just exchanging services” said Jérôme Dutoit.
A Trust-First Approach to Africa’s Digital Decade
Africa’s digital growth is accelerating, but its success depends not just on speed, but on intentional design. This means building services that are locally relevant, transparently operated, and rooted in user trust.
At Digital Virgo, we believe that the future of digital in Africa is not just mobile-first, it’s trust-first. And that mindset is what will truly make the difference.
