At the heart of the initiative is the recognition that a connected digital space could become one of Africa’s greatest strategic assets. By 2030, the continent is projected to host more than 1.5 billion people, most of whom will be young, mobile-centric, and eager for digital participation.

During the summit, member countries agreed to align their digital policies, regulatory frameworks and standards so that cross-border digital services, data flows, and startups can operate more seamlessly across Africa.

“Africa has the money, the investors, the startups, and the innovation, but too often, these ecosystems operate in silos. SANIA is here to bring them together and connect them,” Ralph Oyini, Director of Digital Transformation and Services at Smart Africa, said.

Additionally, Smart Africa's CEO, Lacina Koné, made an initial commitment to enable the scaling of African digital start-ups across borders, supported by a $115 million fund.

“We believe digital transformation can accelerate integration if we align our policies across borders,” Koné said .

The project, championed by the Smart Africa Alliance since 2013, has grown into a coordinated movement involving 42 member states.

What once sounded like a distant vision is now taking shape through platforms such as SANIA, which connects African startups with investors, and the Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX), a cross-border data interoperability pilot currently running in Benin, Ghana and Rwanda.

Now, this push is important because each African country has its digital laws, data-protection rules, telecom standards, and ICT policies. This fragmentation makes it difficult for digital services, startups, mobile money systems, and data to move easily across borders.

A unified market would allow a digital identity issued in Nairobi to work seamlessly in Abidjan, or a fintech from Accra to scale across borders without navigating dozens of regulatory hurdles.

From 2015 to 2020, Muslim women in countries like Finland recorded an average of 3.1 children per woman, compared to 1.7 among non-Muslims.

Pew’s analysis explains that this difference stems from two main factors: age and fertility. Muslim populations in Europe tend to be younger and have higher fertility rates, while non-Muslim populations are older and generally have fewer children.

Many European nations now have overall fertility levels well below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 — the average number of children needed to maintain a stable population. Without migration or shifts in birth trends, that means gradual population decline.

But Pew researchers caution that fertility alone doesn’t explain Europe’s demographic future. Factors like migration, education, urbanisation, and economic conditions all influence how populations evolve. They note that while Muslim birth rates are higher, they are not static, they often decrease as communities settle, integrate, and adapt to local social and economic environments.

The data comes at a time when Europe faces growing concerns over aging populations, labor shortages, and social integration. Policymakers in countries such as Germany, France, and Sweden are debating how to balance immigration, family policies, and workforce demands in the decades ahead.

Ultimately, the Pew findings highlight a simple but significant reality: fertility trends are not just about numbers, they reflect deeper social shifts. Europe’s demographic future will depend not only on how many children people have, but also on how societies adapt to change.