Building Africa's
Digital Sovereignty
Through Open Source
Africa's open source ecosystem is vast, innovative, and largely invisible. ODSI is changing that — cataloging the projects being built and the people building them, so African voices carry weight where it counts.
What We Do
ODSI is building the foundation for Africa's digital independence — cataloging open source projects and the people behind them, and connecting both to the policy conversations that shape Africa's digital future.
Because digital sovereignty isn't achieved through closed borders. It's built through open infrastructure that Africans control, modify, and own. And it starts by making that infrastructure — and those people — visible.
Building Africa's Open Source Ecosystem
Data Projects
Platform Projects
Infrastructure Projects
Software Projects
People in the Directory
Countries Represented
Just getting started — live data growing daily as projects and profiles are verified
Open Source IS People
Projects don't build themselves. A developer in Lagos building tools for local government records management. A team in Accra developing infrastructure software. An advocate in Dakar organizing open source communities. A contributor in Cape Town maintaining critical libraries.
These are the people and projects that need visibility. They solve real local problems, demonstrate the breadth of African innovation, and could become tomorrow's critical infrastructure. But right now, they're largely invisible — and that's what ODSI is fixing.
Projects built for Africa's specific contexts, not adapted from elsewhere as an afterthought.
African open source exists and is world-class. It just hasn't had a home — until now.
A directory becomes evidence. Evidence becomes leverage. Leverage shapes policy.
For Policymakers & Institutions
Building digital infrastructure policy? Considering open source procurement? Looking for African technical expertise?
Start here. Verified projects solving real problems. Verified people with deep expertise. When you need to make the case for open source adoption, this directory provides the proof that African alternatives exist and African talent is world-class.
International open source standards are being set.
AI sovereignty discussions are happening now.
Digital infrastructure policies are being written.
If African voices and evidence aren't in these conversations, decisions will be made without us.
The directory is just the beginning. Every project documented, every person recognized, strengthens the case for open source adoption in policy, procurement, and practice.
Our Philosophy
"You cannot love me the way you want to love me — you have to love me the way I want to be loved."
— Olawale Fabiyi, Founder of ODSI, at Open Source Congress 2025, Brussels
This is the problem with how open source policy has treated Africa: designed for us, without us. Good intentions, wrong approach.
Open source policies must be built WITH the people they affect, not FOR them. So we work in two directions: ensuring African voices shape international open source policy, while helping African governments build their own open source strategies from the ground up — with their own developer communities in the room.
Sovereignty Through Openness
Digital sovereignty means different things in different contexts. Some interpret it as digital protectionism — building walls to keep foreign technology out.
We believe in sovereignty through openness. True independence doesn't come from isolation — it comes from building and controlling open infrastructure that no single vendor can lock down or shut off. When African governments adopt open source, they're not just saving licensing fees. They're choosing technological self-determination.
This isn't just about technology.
It's about:
Economic independence
Not paying foreign licensing fees — keeping resources in Africa
Political sovereignty
Not depending on foreign vendors whose business decisions can compromise national infrastructure
Capacity building
Investing in African talent and creating sustainable technical expertise on the continent
Job creation
Open source ecosystems employ developers, maintainers, advocates, and educators
Representing African Open Source Interests Globally
Open Community Experience
Belgium, 2026
Partners & Collaborators
Building Together
[XXXXXXXXXXXX]
[XXXXXXXXXXXX]
[XXXXXXXXXXXXX]
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to be part of the movement?
Add your project, add your profile — help build the record of African open source innovation.
