Benin, Ghana and Rwanda have established initial connectivity to the Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX), a trusted infrastructure that allows their national systems to securely exchange and verify information, authorities have said.
A statement issued Tuesday in Kigali by the Smart Africa Secretariat said the move marked a key technical milestone in a cross-border digital identity pilot.
Coordinated by the Smart Africa Secretariat, the initiative combines two complementary mechanisms: the Smart Africa Trust Alliance, the common framework of trust, governance and cooperation between participating countries, and the SADX.
Together, they enable cross-border digital interoperability without centralizing identity databases or surrendering control over national data.
The three countries are therefore pioneering a country-led approach to continental digital interoperability, demonstrating how sovereign national systems can progressively establish trusted connections without compromising national control over data, according to the secretariat.
Lacina Kone, chief executive officer of Smart Africa, mentioned that Africa’s digital future cannot be built on fragmented national systems.
“Our ambition is to connect our digital economies while preserving the sovereignty of every nation. With Benin, Ghana and Rwanda taking this important first technical step, we are demonstrating that interoperability does not require centralization, and integration does not mean surrendering sovereignty,” he said.
The initiative’s first use case focuses on cross-border digital identity verification, whereby a traveler from one participating country could have their identity checked directly against their home country’s official records, for example at an automated airport e-gate.