By Thapelo Molefe
Africa must take control of its digital infrastructure or risk repeating its historic role as a passive participant in global industrial revolutions.
This was the key warning delivered during the first G20 Country Session at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) 2025 on Monday.
Panellists from South Africa, Liberia and China stressed that digital transformation must be inclusive, collaborative and African-led. The session formed part of Infrastructure South Africa’s (ISA) broader agenda to leverage global platforms like the G20 for strategic infrastructure collaboration.
The dialogue moderated by Gautrain Management Agency CEO Tshepo Kgobe offered a candid examination of the opportunities and risks facing Africa in the era of digital transformation.
Framing the discussion with a historical perspective, Kgobe cautioned that Africa had repeatedly played a subordinate role in previous industrial revolutions.
“In the first industrial revolution, Africa sold its people to the world. In the
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