Israel and Africa: Building Digital Connections That Deliver

A telecom customer buying a data package, a teacher preparing an online lesson and a business protecting its customer records have something in common: they all depend on technology that works behind the scenes. Across several African countries, cooperation with Israeli companies and institutions is helping develop these systems, connecting technical expertise with local priorities.

The room for further cooperation is substantial. In 2024, internet use reached 38% in the International Telecommunication Union’s Africa region, compared with 68% globally. Expanding access creates opportunities for the software, training and secure systems that make connectivity useful.

South Africa: Improving the Digital Customer Experience

South Africa offers examples of cooperation in both enterprise software and cybersecurity. In its fiscal 2025 shareholder letter, Amdocs, founded in Israel, reported that Telkom South Africa was using Amdocs Studios to develop more unified digital shopping and customer service experiences. The work brings together experience design, software engineering and systems integration. For customers, the value of such projects lies in everyday interactions: choosing a service, managing an account or finding help. For operators, connected systems can make it easier to introduce products and respond to changing expectations.

A separate agreement announced in January 2025 brought Radware’s network and application security products into the portfolio of Boston IT Solutions South Africa. The distribution partnership was designed to expand access across Sub-Saharan Africa, combining Radware’s technology with Boston’s regional presence and technical services. It illustrates the role local partners can play in bringing international solutions to African customers.

Botswana: Updating the Systems Behind Telecom Services

In March 2025, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation selected Amdocs to modernize its charging and billing platform. The announced project centers on a unified system intended to give BTC a comprehensive view of customers across its services and product lines. Billing may attract less attention than a new mobile network, but it is central to how operators serve their customers. It determines how services are packaged, charged and managed, and how quickly new offers can reach the market.

The upgrade is intended to simplify operations, improve service delivery and support BTC’s development into a digital services provider. Amdocs identified business services, 5G and cloud offerings among the opportunities the platform could help BTC pursue. The agreement shows how investment in core software can support African operators’ growth strategy.

Kenya: Developing Cybersecurity Talent

Kenya’s cooperation with Israel includes an investment in professional skills. On 5 April 2024, Cyberpro Academy opened at Daystar University’s Athi River campus, drawing on Israeli cybersecurity expertise to provide academic and professional training.

Daystar described the academy as an equipped IT teaching laboratory where practical experience would accompany theoretical learning. Its announcement set out plans for online and classroom instruction, with participation open to students from different university programs.

The significance extends beyond a single facility. Organizations adopting digital systems need people who can maintain them, identify vulnerabilities and respond when something goes wrong. Training partnerships offer a way to build that expertise locally.

For Kenyan students, this model connects university learning with professional practice. For technology partners, working within a Kenyan institution helps tailor training to local needs.

Ghana: Connecting Education and Technology

Ghana’s education sector provides another meeting point. In July 2025, an event in Accra brought together educators, innovators and policymakers to explore cooperation between Ghanaian and Israeli education technology organizations. The initiative was organized by Israel’s Economic and Trade Mission to Ghana with Israel’s Center for Educational Technology and the Ghana Society for Education Technology. Building relationships between companies in the two countries was a stated objective.

This was a forum for developing partnerships, rather than an announcement of a completed national deployment. Its emphasis nevertheless matters: educational software gains value when it fits teaching practices and the people using it. Cooperation involving Ghanaian educators and technology businesses offers a practical starting point for adapting tools to classrooms and supporting teachers.

Ethiopia: Extending Connectivity to Remote Areas

In Ethiopia, a September 2023 contract announcement highlighted the infrastructure supporting digital access. Ethio Telecom selected Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks for satellite network modernization, including its SkyEdge II-c platform and hundreds of satellite terminals.

The equipment was designed to improve satellite connections linking 4G mobile sites to the wider network, alongside enterprise communications in remote areas. Such infrastructure provides the foundation on which IT services depend. Where terrestrial connections are difficult to establish, satellite links can help extend the reach of mobile and business communications. The project demonstrates how an African operator can combine its network knowledge with specialist technology to address geographical challenges.

Rwanda: Creating Space for Professional Exchange

Rwanda has also provided a platform for technology cooperation. In August 2023, Kigali hosted Cybertech Africa, attracting more than 3,000 participants, according to Rwanda’s National Cyber Security Authority. The event brought together businesses, officials and technology professionals around cybersecurity and emerging technologies.

The Israeli embassy organized a networking breakfast alongside the conference, adding a direct channel for professional exchange.

Together, these examples suggest a practical direction for Israel-Africa technology relationships. African operators, universities and businesses define the needs, while partners contribute software, specialist knowledge and training. The strongest opportunities lie in developing those relationships over time, with local expertise shaping implementation and more people gaining the skills to use, manage and improve the technology themselves.