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Across Africa, governments are racing to digitise services, from banking oversight to hospital management. But as these systems expand, a critical question is emerging beyond the tech labs: who will control the software that underpins the continent’s future?
For Patrick Ogbuitepu, a Nigerian software engineer, the answer is clear. He has spent years building dev1kit, a framework now powering systems in finance, social protection, and healthcare.
He also leads the open source AI Posture Monitor project, designed to help organizations analyse posture through computer vision.
“In the past, we kept rebuilding the same foundations, workflows, and integrations for every new system,” Ogbuitepu said. “Open source is not charity. When foundational tools stay closed, everyone keeps starting from zero.”
The issue goes beyond efficiency. African nations face what experts call digital sovereignty, the ability to control the software that runs critical infrastructure. Kayode Gegele, a technology advisor at Verraki Africa, explains: “Architecture decisions live for years. You need systems that can evolve with regulation, integrate across platforms, and remain governable. Open frameworks make that long-term adaptability achievable.”
Healthcare offers a tangible example. Platforms like HYELLA HMIS, built on dev1kit foundations, integrate electronic health records with administrative and financial systems. “In a hospital, speed and stability matter more than technical elegance,” Ogbuitepu said. “You design for daily operational stress.”
Yet software alone isn’t enough. Data governance is key. Joy Ohiagbara, co-founder of TechLaunchPadi, warns, “Without data governance, quality standards, and literacy, the benefits erode.” Emmanuel Dibie, who manages cloud solutions at European energy firm TenneT, adds, “Interoperability and governance are non-negotiable. Shared components make scaling and control easier.”
The push toward open source reflects a maturing ecosystem. Initiatives like Daniel Inaju’s FIMI Framework, inspired by dev1kit, are now being released openly, enabling knowledge to accumulate across teams and generations.
“Internal tools solve immediate problems,” Ogbuitepu said. “Open projects let teams build on each other’s work. Openness in code and governance keeps people in the loop.”
Whether Africa’s digital transformation remains a patchwork of isolated systems or grows into shared, inspectable infrastructure may define the continent’s next tech leap. “The next step,” Ogbuitepu says, “is the courage to open more foundations, invite scrutiny, and let the community improve them.”
