Africa is sitting on a burgeoning data economy projected to be worth $290 billion by 2030, yet it captures less than three percent of the global value due to a critical governance problem, not a technological one.

• Governments must develop distinct national data governance policies that enable the sharing of anonymised and aggregate data, separate from personal data protection laws.
• The absence of accessible data costs the continent billions, hindering economic growth as seen in poor urban planning and reduced business investment.
• The writer, a partner at G&A Advocates LLP, urges immediate action, emphasizing that data governance is now an investment question and comparing Africa's data reserves to oil without the infrastructure to refine or distribute it.