African economic stability requires debt reform and data sovereignty

African leaders and experts are highlighting the critical need for debt sustainability and data sovereignty to secure the continent's economic future. At the 6th African Conference on Debt and Development, Dumelang Saleshando, Chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum Standing Committee, warned that unsustainable debt is dampening African growth and straining public finances.

Saleshando emphasized that African nations must strengthen domestic resource mobilization to reduce reliance on foreign borrowing. He identified technology as a vital lever, noting that many revenue and tax collection agencies remain inefficient due to a lack of technological modernization. He argued that governments must ensure tax revenue is visibly utilized to build public trust.

Complementing the focus on fiscal management, experts suggest that data sovereignty—the ability to control and act on domestic economic information—is essential for effective policy. While governments collect vast amounts of tax and transaction data, much of it remains unanalyzed in administrative silos.

To address this, the UNU-WIDER model has established secure research data labs in South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. These labs allow researchers to access anonymized tax data in a protected environment, providing insights that inform debates on income tax design and corporate behavior without compromising data security.