• African governments are expanding unified digital platforms to centralize public services and improve administrative efficiency

• Countries including Senegal, Rwanda, Kenya, Benin and Burkina Faso have launched or expanded online portals for government services

• Despite progress, many countries still face challenges linked to weak infrastructure, fragmented systems and cybersecurity risks

Unified public service platforms are gaining ground across Africa as governments accelerate efforts to digitize administrative services and centralize them on single online portals. Inspired by e-government models developed in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, several countries are seeking to make public services easier to access, reduce administrative delays and improve efficiency as internet adoption expands rapidly across the continent.

Recent initiatives illustrate the trend

Burkina Faso recently launched a centralized digital public services platform aimed at progressively bringing together a wide range of online government services. The platform already provides 1,672 information sheets and 95 online procedures, while connecting 183 public institutions.

Senegal is also stepping up the rollout of digital public services through its “New Deal Technologique” strategy, which seeks to connect more government agencies and simplify access to online services. The country launched its unified public services portal, known as “e-Senegal,” in March.

Rwanda remains one of Africa’s most advanced digital administration models through its Irembo platform, which gives users access to several hundred government services, including civil status documents, permit applications and public payments.

Other African countries have also expanded similar initiatives in recent years. Kenya developed the eCitizen portal, which has become one of the country’s main gateways for online government services. In Benin, authorities have strengthened the national public services portal, allowing citizens to complete some procedures online related to administrative documents and tax services. The government says more than 10.5 million digital documents were issued in 2025 and that 75% of public services are now available online.

Uneven progress across the continent

The acceleration reflects broader efforts by African governments to modernize public administration and improve service delivery. According to the United Nations’ 2024 E-Government Survey, Africa’s E-Government Development Index rose from 0.4054 in 2022 to 0.4247 in 2024, an increase of 4.8%. The continent recorded the world’s second-fastest improvement after Asia.

Despite that progress, major disparities remain between countries. Rwanda, South Africa, Mauritius and Morocco rank among Africa’s most advanced digital administrations, supported by sustained investment in digital infrastructure and online public services. Many other countries continue to lag in the digitization and integration of government services.

Cameroon, for example, still faces significant fragmentation across public platforms, with many procedures remaining largely manual despite several digital transformation programs launched in recent years. Chad, the Central African Republic and South Sudan continue to struggle with weak telecommunications infrastructure, limited internet connectivity and low administrative capacity. In some countries, existing platforms remain underused because agencies are not fully interconnected or because internal government procedures have not been sufficiently digitized.

Security and trust become central issues

Unified digital platforms now serve purposes that go beyond administrative modernization. Governments increasingly view them as tools to improve tax collection, strengthen transparency, reduce certain forms of administrative corruption and simplify interactions between public authorities, citizens and businesses.

At the same time, data protection and platform reliability have become growing concerns as governments manage expanding volumes of sensitive information linked to identity systems, taxation and social services. African states are under increasing pressure to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and protect public platforms against fraud, hacking and personal data breaches.

Samira Njoya