LEADERSHIP STATEMENTS

Sonwabo Mdwaba – FOUNDING CHAIRPERSON, PAICTA

The Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA) was established as a continental response to one of Africa’s most urgent imperatives: to empower its people through digital transformation and inclusive innovation. At the heart of PAICTA’s mission is a commitment to building an Africa where every young person, woman, and differently-abled individual—regardless of their geographic location—can participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

PAICTA exists to enable, equip, and elevate. We foster technopreneurship, strengthen digital capabilities, and create opportunities for employability and enterprise development. Our purpose is deeply rooted in socio-economic transformation—we don’t just train individuals; we unlock value in communities, catalyze job creation, and build the human capital needed for Africa’s sustainable development.

We recognize that innovation does not thrive in isolation. It requires an enabling environment—one that includes access to digital infrastructure, policy alignment, public-private partnerships, and inclusive platforms for development. Through our Smart Digital Innovation Centre of Excellence, accredited training programs, and regional partnerships, PAICTA is positioning itself as a strategic driver of Africa’s digital future.

Our work is directly aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and we are proud to be actively contributing to its aspirations:

• Aspiration 1: A Prosperous Africa – We advance inclusive growth through MSME support, youth skilling, and the promotion of digitally enabled livelihoods.
• Aspiration 2: An Integrated Continent – We promote digital cooperation and knowledge exchange across borders, creating a cohesive Pan-African tech community.
• Aspiration 4: A Peaceful and Secure Africa – We empower citizens through digital literacy, cybersecurity training, and civic tech initiatives.
• Aspiration 5: An Africa with a Strong Cultural Identity – Our programs embrace African values, languages, and context, ensuring relevance and cultural continuity.
• Aspiration 6: A People-Driven Development Model – We prioritise the inclusion of youth, women, and underrepresented groups as leaders and innovators.
• Aspiration 7: Africa as a Global Player – We build capacity that enables African technopreneurs to shape and influence global digital ecosystems.

As Chairperson, I view our mandate not only as a continental obligation but as a moral imperative. PAICTA represents a bold shift from dependency to sovereignty—from consumption to creation. It is about harnessing Africa’s potential to create its own digital future, shaped by its people, for its people.

The impact of our work is visible: thousands of youth trained, startups launched, MSMEs formalised, and innovators mentored. But the work ahead is greater. We must continue to scale, collaborate, and innovate—because the next chapter of Africa’s story will be written in code, data, and ideas.

Together, we can build a digitally empowered Africa—competitive, inclusive, and ready to lead.
Let us build not just infrastructure, but resilience.
Let us drive not just programmes, but purpose.
Let us deliver not just outputs, but impact.

I am honoured to lead this mission forward—strategically, faithfully, and in service of the Africa we want.

Sonwabo Mdwaba – PRESIDENT, PAICTA

The Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA) is more than an organization—it is a movement committed to unlocking Africa’s full digital potential. We exist to advocate for the inclusion, advancement, and empowerment of Africa’s ICT MSMEs, youth, women, and differently-abled individuals, ensuring that no one is left behind in the Fourth and emerging Fifth Industrial Revolutions and Society 5.0—a future where human-centric innovation drives inclusive digital economies aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At PAICTA, we believe that the foundation of Africa’s digital future lies in the communities we serve—particularly those in rural, peri-rural, and underserved urban areas. Our mission is to drive inclusive socio-economic transformation by enabling access to digital tools, innovation platforms, entrepreneurship pathways, and accredited ICT skills programmes. We aim to cultivate a new generation of technopreneurs and digital innovators who are equipped not only to participate in the global economy—but to shape it.

Achieving this vision demands a commitment to an open, inclusive, and collaborative digital economy. We are building an ecosystem that welcomes software developers, digital solution creators, and MSME entrepreneurs as critical actors in Africa’s digital renaissance. Through strategic partnerships with governments, multinationals, corporates, academia, civil society, and international bodies, PAICTA acts as a bridge—connecting potential with opportunity, and ideas with impact.

As a digital transformation body, we align with global and continental efforts to address inequality, bridge the digital skills gap, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our programmes and platforms are intentionally designed to reflect the realities of the African child—ensuring relevance, representation, and resilience in every intervention.

In our DNA is a commitment to bespoke collaboration—co-creating solutions that serve Africa’s unique socio-economic context. We advocate for policy reform, digital equity, and the creation of enabling environments where innovation thrives. Our Smart Digital Innovation Centre of Excellence, e-learning initiatives, and digital incubation models are shaping futures, strengthening communities, and transforming lives.

As President of PAICTA, I carry the responsibility of ensuring that this organization lives out its Vision, fulfills its Mission, and delivers on its Strategic Objectives with integrity, accountability, and unwavering faith. I am guided by the belief that our work is not just about technology—it is about dignity, access, and legacy.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." – Hebrews 11:1

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou

Best Regards,
Sonwabo Mdwaba

FOUNDING MEMBER | STRATEGIC FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT

As a community-driven organisation, the Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA) remains steadfast in its commitment to transforming lives through digital innovation. Together with our passionate leadership team and committed advisors, we continue to champion the interests of underserved communities—ensuring that the transformative power of ICT reaches every corner of our continent.

The success we have achieved in impacting the lives of youth across multiple African countries is not incidental—it is the result of deliberate strategy, grassroots engagement, and disciplined execution. At the heart of our work lies a clear mandate: to foster an inclusive digital society where the African Child is not a bystander, but a builder of their own digital future.

As we scale, PAICTA is deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with stewardship of public and private funding. We operate with financial prudence, guided by principles of accountability, transparency, and strong governance. Our systems and processes adhere to international best practices in financial management, ensuring robust controls, compliance, and assurance for all our partners. We are committed to sound fiduciary oversight, clear resource allocation, and impact-driven reporting—providing donors, investors, and grant funders with confidence in how their contributions are utilised.

We invite strategic partners who share our vision to join us in resourcing and capacitating PAICTA, so we can continue to expand our footprint in training and development, technopreneurship incubation, digital literacy, and emerging technology adoption. Every contribution helps us build a more resilient, digitally skilled, and future-ready Africa.

Through countless digital initiatives and multi-sector collaborations—with stakeholders across government, academia, and industry—we have seen firsthand how access to technology can uplift individuals, transform families, and ignite local economies. It is a privilege to be part of that journey.

To the African Child: Your place is at the centre of Africa’s digital evolution.
And truly—the best is yet to come.

CHAMPIONING PAN-AFRICAN INNOVATION THROUGH ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Africa is a continent rich in potential, resilience, and innovation. Yet, it also faces deep-rooted digital, economic, and structural challenges. The consistent success of Africans abroad—particularly in technology, academia, and entrepreneurship—demonstrates what is possible when talent meets opportunity. The Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA) firmly believes that if Africa can create enabling environments at home—anchored in inclusion, skills development, and collaboration—our continent can lead its own digital transformation.

PAICTA recognises that the solutions to Africa’s challenges must come from within—locally developed, culturally relevant, and continentally scalable. This belief drives our commitment to building a Pan-African digital ecosystem that leverages the collective knowledge of academics, researchers, students, public institutions, private enterprises, and communities. It is through this united front that we can bridge the digital divide, unlock innovation, and advance socio-economic transformation.

From the vantage point of the PAICTA Board Advisory, we have witnessed the extraordinary talent of African youth—creating digital solutions in health, education, agriculture, finance, energy, climate, and governance to directly address service delivery gaps. Through hackathons, digital forums, webinars, conferences, innovation challenges, workshops, and thought leadership platforms, PAICTA has amplified the voices of African innovators, giving visibility to homegrown solutions that were once hidden at the margins.

Our collaboration with universities and academic institutions is one of our greatest assets. PAICTA actively engages professors, researchers, students, and administrators across Africa, fostering an environment of research commercialisation, innovation exchange, and experiential learning. These engagements support a broader agenda of educational transformation, where academic output fuels real-world solutions.

In parallel, we continue to work with the public sector, particularly municipalities and government departments, to reimagine public service delivery through digital infrastructure, e-governance, and community training. Our outreach to the private sector focuses on forging strategic partnerships that build scalable models for technopreneurship incubation, youth skilling, and enterprise development.

Our digital transformation agenda extends to schools, rural and peri-rural communities, and historically excluded populations. Through targeted engagement, we are equipping youth, women, differently abled individuals, and informal service providers with relevant digital skills and access to technology—unlocking pathways to economic participation and innovation.

PAICTA embodies the Pan-African vision of One Africa—united through digital opportunity and shared purpose. The spirit of “Harambee”—pulling together—resonates in every initiative we lead and every door we knock on. We are not simply building infrastructure or running programmes; we are changing lives, strengthening communities, and shaping Africa’s digital identity.

To the African academic, innovator, entrepreneur, and policymaker—your place is at the heart of this transformation. To our partners and supporters—we thank you for believing in Africa’s potential and for helping us build what’s next.

To PAICTA: keep going. Go further. Go wider.
Engage. Mobilise. Transform.

Because when Africa leads its own digital narrative—everyone rises.

Upholding Integrity, Enabling Impact, Guiding Transformation

As Independent Directors of the Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA), we are proud to serve an organisation whose mission is both urgent and profound—to accelerate digital inclusion and transformation across Africa in a way that is equitable, innovative, and community-driven.

Our role is rooted in ensuring that PAICTA adheres to the highest standards of governance, ethical leadership, strategic discipline, and operational transparency. We act as impartial stewards, offering an independent lens to support accountability, sound decision-making, and long-term sustainability. As PAICTA continues to expand its reach and deepen its impact, we remain committed to guiding its strategic path with integrity and public trust at the centre.

We acknowledge the complexity and potential of PAICTA’s work—particularly in advancing technopreneurship, youth upskilling, MSME development, and public sector innovation. In this context, our oversight extends beyond compliance; it includes ensuring that the organisation remains mission-aligned, financially prudent, risk-conscious, and responsive to the needs of the communities it serves.

We are especially encouraged by PAICTA’s commitment to:

• Strong financial governance, including robust internal controls, independent audits, and transparent reporting frameworks;
• Donor and partner confidence, through clear accountability in resourcing and measurable returns on impact;
• Ethical procurement, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance, to safeguard its reputation and mandate;
• And alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, contributing directly to aspirations such as inclusive growth, youth empowerment, digital innovation, and Pan-African unity.

PAICTA’s approach—uniting academia, industry, public sector, civil society, communities, and grassroots innovation—is not only commendable, it is necessary.

We further acknowledge PAICTA’s increasing participation in global knowledge partnerships and multilateral innovation networks, including engagements with international AI consortia and digital policy communities. These connections strengthen Africa’s voice in shaping ethical, inclusive, and human-centred global digital standards, while ensuring that African realities inform international innovation agendas.

Africa’s digital future requires organisations that can operate with both heart and discipline. As Independent Directors, we are committed to ensuring that PAICTA’s governance practices remain exemplary, its resources responsibly managed, and its programmes deeply impactful.

We remain steadfast in our collective responsibility to ensure that PAICTA continues to thrive as a trusted, transparent, and transformational institution—building a continent where digital opportunity is not the privilege of a few, but the right of all.