The 2024 edition of the UNCTAD Digital Economy Report (Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future), notes that developing countries that are investing in digitalization are reaping relatively few benefits, as the costs in which they incur for deploying digital technologies are still higher than the benefits they receive from their utilization. In fact, the report notes, if on one hand these countries are becoming avid importers of technology, on the other hand the digital services they export are still limited. Moreover, exports of electronic waste still are mainly directed to these countries, which obviously has an environmental impact. Digital technologies, notes the report, are also energy and water intensive, whose costs are generally high in developing countries. Energy is needed for running them, while water is used for cooling purposes. Data centers, for instance, particularly hyperscale ones, generate a substantial amount of heat, and effective cooling is needed to ensure uninterrupted operation. Electronic waste (e-waste) instead, refers to all types of electrical and electronic equipment and its parts that have been discarded by the owner as waste without the intention of reuse. Africa is a main destination of such type of waste, as shown in the map below, while Western and Southern Africa are the only African regions that export e-waste outside the continent.

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The Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) announced on 1th August 2024 that it received the official endorsement by the African Union (AU) Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors during their 7th Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning, and Integration held in Tunis, Tunisia from 3 to 7 July. The STC recognized such structure as crucial for strengthening the continental financial framework and advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The Alliance for African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI), also called "The Africa Club", i.e., a network among all the African-owned and African-controlled financial institutions that provide financing and support to trade and investments in African States.

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