ADF Updates

Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Partnerships in Lomé Ahead of the ADF 2027

Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah·October 9, 2026·6 min

ADF Updates

In September 2026, executive leadership of the Africa Digital Forum (ADF)—led by Organizing Directors Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah and Marc Aboflan —conducted an institutional mobilization mission to Lomé, Togo. This mission laid the groundwork for the continental summit of the Africa Digital Forum, scheduled in Lomé for June 2–4, 2027. As Sub-Saharan Africa navigates an era of rapid technological advancement, expansion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital economy, and demographic growth, the need for unified digital governance, technological sovereignty, and inclusive policy frameworks is critical.

The mobilization mission engaged public institutions, technology leaders, mobility pioneers, telecommunications providers, fintech platforms, and academic research hubs. By aligning with key actors—including Agence Togo Digital (ATD) , Cyber Defense Africa (CDA) , Spiro , Yas Togo , Gozem , and Ashesi University —the ADF Secretariat established a multi-stakeholder foundation to support West Africa’s digital ecosystem. These engagements reinforce Lomé's stature as a policy and technological capital, ensuring that ADF 2027 translates dialogue into economic impact, robust governance frameworks, and contextualized African innovation.

Strategic Imperative: Digital Sovereignty and Multi-Stakeholder Governance

In alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)—the Africa Digital Forum centers on digital sovereignty. For Africa, achieving digital sovereignty entails cultivating indigenous technical capacity, sovereign data infrastructure, localized artificial intelligence frameworks, and equitable multi-stakeholder governance models.

While internet penetration across the continent continues to expand, Sub-Saharan Africa faces a usage gap where 76% of the population remains offline due to data costs, digital literacy deficits, and a lack of localized digital tools. Furthermore, while artificial intelligence is projected to unlock $1.2 trillion for the African economy by 2030, the risk of becoming consumers rather than creators of technology remains high. Addressing these challenges requires systemic multi-stakeholder cooperation. The Lomé mission operationalized this model by connecting public leadership, private capital, startups, and academia to ensure technological advances support sustainable development and economic self-determination.

Agence Togo Digital (ATD): Anchoring Public Sector Transformation and Policy Alignment

During the tour, the ADF directors met with the Director General and senior leadership of Agence Togo Digital (ATD), the primary state agency under the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Responsible for driving Togo’s national digital strategy (Stratégie Togo Digital 2025), ATD leads efforts to modernize public administration, expand broadband access, implement biometric identity systems, and digitize public services.

Deliberations with ATD focused on establishing synergies between national digitization priorities and continental policy frameworks. As a key public partner, ATD helps ensure ADF 2027 serves as a catalyst for cross-border policy harmonization, public-private partnerships, and regional AfCFTA digital integration. ATD’s leadership also provides essential institutional backing for hosting presidential and ministerial dialogues during the June 2027 forum.

Cyber Defense Africa (CDA): Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure and Digital Trust

Digital sovereignty is closely linked to cyber resilience and data protection. The ADF delegation held high-level discussions with Simon Melchior, Director General of Cyber Defense Africa (CDA), and his technical team. A joint venture between the Togolese State and specialized cybersecurity entities, CDA operates a regional Security Operations Center (SOC) and Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-TG) to safeguard national and enterprise assets.

Dialogue with CDA focused on embedding cyber governance, zero-trust architectures, and data protection into the ADF 2027 agenda. Key outcomes included defining pathways to showcase regional cyber defense capabilities, establishing policy frameworks for secure cross-border financial transactions, and formulating capacity-building workshops for African cybersecurity experts. Through this partnership, ADF 2027 aims to advance actionable frameworks for digital trust across West Africa.

Spiro: Advancing Sustainable E-Mobility, Clean Energy Transition, and Industrial Policy

Connecting digital technology with environmental sustainability, ADF leadership met with Evenunye Kafui Afoua Gakoto, Head of Marketing at Spiro Togo. Spiro is an electric mobility (e-mobility) company deploying electric two-wheelers, battery-swapping stations, and automated fleet management systems across Togo, Benin, Rwanda, and Kenya.

Discussions focused on the intersection of IoT connectivity, green technology, and public policy. Spiro’s integration into the ADF platform will support discussions on policy frameworks for e-mobility adoption, battery-swapping standards, telemetry for rider safety, and climate finance. Spiro’s work demonstrates how digital technology can support sustainable transport infrastructure in African urban centers.

Yas Togo: Expanding Telecommunications Infrastructure and Inclusive Connectivity

Achieving digital inclusion requires scalable telecommunications infrastructure. The ADF team met with executive representatives of Yas Togo, a major telecommunications operator involved in regional connectivity, mobile data deployment, and digital communications infrastructure.

Discussions highlighted collaboration on addressing the digital usage gap, enhancing network infrastructure for the summit, and supporting digital engagement for international delegates. Key areas of agreement included exploring sponsorship structures, ensuring internet access during ADF 2027, and designing initiatives to reduce access costs for underserved communities in West Africa.

Gozem: Leveraging Super-App Ecosystems for Financial Inclusion and Logistics Integration

To address transportation, delivery logistics, and digital financial services within a unified platform, the delegation met with executives at Gozem . Operating across Francophone West and Central Africa, Gozem offers ride-hailing, freight delivery, e-commerce, and mobile financial services in a single app.

Gozem contributes to Togo’s digital economy by supporting financial inclusion for micro-entrepreneurs, drivers, and informal merchants. The partnership with Gozem aims to provide transportation, digital payment integration, and mobility services for forum delegates. Additionally, Gozem’s platform model will serve as a case study at ADF 2027 for using multi-service platforms to support financial inclusion across the continent.

Ashesi University: Cultivating Indigenous Talent, R&D, and Academic Innovation Ecosystems

Recognizing that technological advancement relies on human capital and research, Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah and Marc Aboflan visited Ashesi University , exploring its Entrepreneurship Center and Education Collaborative Initiative. Known for leadership in ethical governance, engineering, and computer science education, Ashesi plays a key role in developing technology innovators in Africa.

The visit focused on structuring pathways for academic participation, youth entrepreneurship showcases, and university research presentations at ADF 2027. By fostering collaboration among faculty, student incubators, and industry leaders, the ADF-Ashesi partnership helps involve young African developers, founders, and researchers in shaping technology policy and innovation.

By combining policy vision (ATD), cybersecurity (CDA), telecom infrastructure (Yas Togo), platform logistics (Gozem), sustainable technology (Spiro), and research capital (Ashesi), ADF 2027 establishes an integrated framework. This coalition helps ensure the forum goes beyond traditional discussions to support institutional agreements, investments, policy initiatives, and local economic impact.

Togo’s visa-free entry policy for African nationals aligns with the AfCFTA vision for the movement of people, goods, and digital services. Hosting ADF 2027 in Lomé is projected to inject over USD $3 million (1.7 billion FCFA) into Togo's hospitality, transport, and service sectors, supporting Lomé's role as a regional policy, cybersecurity, and digital innovation hub.

Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah

Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah is a versatile leader who specializes in transforming complex financial metrics into actionable strategic insights. Currently, he is the Organizing Director for the Africa Digital Forum, Director at the Media and Digital Institute, and Senior Finance Manager at Bolingo Consult.

Topics:ADF Updates