ELECTRONIC SIGNATUREAND DIGITAL IDENTITYBAROMETER FOR AFRICA
A strategic tool for analysis, measurement and recommendations.
Collect data on the use of electronic signatures in legal acts, commercial exchanges and official documents of member states.
Provide a database and indicators to help governments, institutions and businesses adopt optimised legislation and practices.
Analyse the certification, security and archiving infrastructure for electronic documents.
Identify the types of electronic signatures commonly used according to their nature (simple, advanced or qualified) and their use cases.
Verify the existence of a legal and regulatory environment in force for the adoption of electronic signatures in each member state.
Identify the validation and review mechanisms of the systems in place.
Electronic Signature Barometerfor Africa
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Maturity level
These are the five pillars on which the assessment of a country's electronic signature maturity is based.
Assessment of the legal framework, laws and regulations in place to support electronic signatures, and their compliance with international standards.
Analysis of the responsible institutions, digital governance and the supervision and control mechanisms in place.
Technical infrastructure, adopted standards, system interoperability and available technological capabilities.
Adoption rate among businesses and citizens, diversity of use cases and integration into business processes.
Digital cultural maturity, user awareness and interoperability between different systems.
How the barometer is built
The Barometer rests on a six-step methodological framework designed to ensure rigorous governance of data on electronic signatures and digital identity in Africa.
Scope and Objectives
Clarify the purpose of the barometer and the data it requires, to avoid bias or unnecessary collection.
- ›Definition of key indicators: adoption rate, interoperability, trust, legal framework.
- ›Identification of stakeholders: governments, private operators, citizens, regional organisations (OHADA).
- ›Prioritisation of countries according to their digital maturity and the existence of legal frameworks.
Legal and Ethical Framework
Ensure compliance with local and international regulations and protect individuals' rights.
- ›Review of data protection laws by country (e.g. POPIA, GDPR for European partnerships).
- ›Verification of frameworks specific to electronic signatures and digital identity.
- ›Creation of an independent ethics committee and anonymisation of sensitive data.
Data Governance Architecture
Organise roles, responsibilities and processes for transparent, collaborative management.
- ›Creation of a steering committee (country representatives, experts, partners).
- ›Appointment of a Data Steward responsible for data quality and integrity.
- ›Alignment with open standards: ISO standards, African Digital ID Framework.
Data Collection and Quality
Ensure reliable, representative data that can be compared across countries.
- ›Quantitative surveys with stratified samples (urban/rural, gender, age).
- ›Qualitative interviews with key stakeholders: ministries, operators, trust service providers.
- ›Technical interoperability tests between the electronic signature systems of different countries.
Analysis and Visualisation
Turn data into actionable insights for decision-makers.
- ›Construction of a composite index combining legal, technical and adoption criteria.
- ›Weighting of indicators according to local priorities.
- ›Interactive maps and thematic reports tailored to different audiences.
Dissemination and Sustainability
Maximise the barometer's impact and keep it sustainable over time.
- ›Training country correspondents so they can take over updates on their own.
- ›Publication of the data as open data (CC-BY-SA licence) to support research.
- ›Annual update with partial automation of the data collection processes.
Strategic sponsors
