PhD Talk Asks How to Avoid Colonialist Structures in Digital Public Infrastructure

Why It Matters

The analysis reveals how major digital‑identity programs can reproduce colonial power dynamics, influencing privacy, governance, and development outcomes in the Global South. Recognizing these risks is essential for donors, policymakers, and tech firms seeking truly equitable digital inclusion.

Key Takeaways

• World Bank leads global digital transformation projects in Africa
• Colonial legacies shape digital identity systems in Kenya, Uganda
• Biometric tools risk reinforcing surveillance and extractive dynamics
• Decolonizing DPI requires political, not just technical, reforms
• Inclusive governance essential to avoid neoliberal, colonial outcomes

Pulse Analysis

The World Bank’s Global Digital Transformation agenda has become a cornerstone of digital public infrastructure (DPI) projects across Africa, promising streamlined services, financial inclusion, and stronger governance. Yet, as Kalema’s research demonstrates, these initiatives are built on a foundation of colonial-era institutions—taxation, land registries, and identity regimes—that historically extracted resources and defined populations for external control. By mapping the historical continuity from British colonial tax structures to today’s biometric ID systems, she highlights how the same power asymmetries can be reproduced under the guise of technological progress.

Beyond the technical allure of biometric verification and centralized databases lies a deeper political economy. Deployments of facial‑recognition cameras and national ID platforms often serve law‑enforcement objectives, as seen in post‑George Floyd protests, raising alarm over civil liberties and community safety. Moreover, the extraction of data can fuel financialization, turning citizen information into a commodity for multinational investors. Kalema warns that without critical scrutiny, DPI can become another conduit for extractive dynamics, reinforcing inequality rather than delivering the promised efficiency.

A decolonial approach to DPI demands that policymakers, donors, and technology providers treat digital transformation as a political project with explicit governance frameworks. This includes co‑designing systems with local stakeholders, ensuring data sovereignty, and embedding safeguards against surveillance abuse. By shifting the narrative from technocratic efficiency to inclusive, rights‑based development, the sector can avoid replicating neoliberal, colonial patterns and instead foster transnational solidarity that benefits all communities.