About ADEF
A continent-wide forum for Africa’s digital future.
The Africa Digital Economy Forum was founded in Accra in 2019 to close a gap we kept running into: policy conversations about Africa’s digital economy were happening without the research, the practitioners, or the young people the policies were actually meant to serve. ADEF exists to put all three in the same room.
Our story
Why we exist
Africa’s digital economy is projected to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars within the decade, but the benefits of that growth aren’t landing evenly. Connectivity is patchy, digital policy is often written without the people it affects, and too many schools and small businesses are left out of the infrastructure that makes participation possible.
ADEF was built to change that trajectory — through research that governments and investors can actually use, advocacy that sits at the policy table rather than shouting from outside it, and programs that put tools directly into underserved communities.
How we’re structured
Three pillars
Intelligence
We commission and publish research that tracks how Africa's digital economy is actually developing — infrastructure, policy, investment and adoption — so decisions get made on evidence rather than assumption.
Advocacy
We work alongside governments, regulators and industry to push for the policies that let connectivity, data protection and digital identity work in favour of the people using them.
Inclusion
We run campaigns, workshops and school programs that put digital skills and tools directly in the hands of youth and underserved communities across the continent.
Leadership
The team behind ADEF
Akin Naphtal
Founder & Chief Executive
Judah Ndifreke
Programs Lead
Nsisong Udo
Partnerships Lead
Full bios coming soon — reach out at info@adeforum.org if you’d like to speak with our team directly.