European Government Software Partner for Africa
StepTo is a team of 15-20 engineers in Belgrade, Serbia, offering staff augmentation, dedicated teams and project work to prime contractors, implementing agencies and donor-funded digital government programmes in African countries.
Reviewed by Igor Gazivoda, Founder & CEO of StepTo · Updated
How Can a European Software Team Support Digital Government Programmes in Africa?
By adding engineering capacity to programmes that are already funded. StepTo is a team of 15-20 engineers in Belgrade, Serbia that offers engineering capacity to prime contractors, implementing agencies and donor-funded programmes on digital ID, e-government and service platforms. Engineers start 2-4 weeks after the first call, from $4,500 per developer per month.
The World Bank alone reported 70 digitalisation investment projects worth US$9 billion across 37 African countries between 2019 and mid-2023. Delivering them takes engineers who can join an existing programme quickly and work under its rules. This page lists the main funders and named programmes, how foreign firms take part, the data protection regimes in five countries and how StepTo engages.
Looking at Kenya? Read the Kenya page, which covers its procurement and data-localisation rules. StepTo's general public-sector work is described under government digital services. To write a tender, use the software RFP template.
Who Funds Digital Government in African Countries?
StepTo, a Belgrade engineering firm, lists the main continental frameworks: the World Bank's Digital Economy for Africa initiative, the African Union's 2020-2030 digital strategy and the EU's EUR 150 billion Africa-Europe Investment Package, which has a digital pillar. Smart Africa is an alliance of about 40 member states.
| Framework | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Bank Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) | Aims for every individual, business and government in Africa to be digitally enabled by 2030. The World Bank reported 70 digitalisation investment projects totalling US$9 billion across 37 African countries since 2019, as of June 2023. | World Bank programme page and June 2023 results brief |
| EU Global Gateway, Africa-Europe Investment Package | EUR 150 billion in investments, with a digital pillar covering fibre-optic cables, cloud and data infrastructure and support for regulatory frameworks such as data protection. The factsheet gives no euro amount for digital alone. | European Commission factsheet, October 2023 |
| Smart Africa | An alliance of African states for digital transformation, headquartered in Kigali. It describes itself as an alliance of about 40 African countries, and some of its pages give 42. | Smart Africa |
| African Union Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, 2020-2030 | The continental strategy that DE4A is designed to support. | African Union |
Which World Bank Digital Programmes in Africa Are Named Examples?
Among the eight programmes listed here, the largest are Nigeria's digital ID project at US$430 million and Ethiopia's digital ID project at US$350 million. The others, in Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal and Mozambique, are between US$150 million and US$200 million each.
| Country | Programme | Amount | Approved | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Digital Identification for Development Project | US$430 million | February 2020 | Foundational digital ID run by the National Identity Management Commission, including authentication services and integration with public and private services. |
| Ghana | Digital Acceleration Project | US$200 million | April 2022 | Broadband, modernised digital government services, cybersecurity and data protection safeguards, digital entrepreneurship. |
| Rwanda | Digital Acceleration Project | US$200 million | November 2021 | Digital identification and authentication, government data management, sharing and analytics, e-services in key sectors, cybersecurity. |
| Uganda | Digital Acceleration Project, GovNet | US$200 million | June 2021 | High-speed internet, government digital service delivery, cybersecurity and data protection; implemented through NITA-U. |
| Tanzania | Digital Tanzania Project | US$150 million | May 2021 | Broadband access for government, businesses and citizens, and the government's capacity to deliver digital public services. |
| Ethiopia | Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project | US$350 million | December 2023 | The Fayda national ID: ID institution, Data Protection Commission, mass registration and integration of the ID with services. |
| Senegal | Digital Economy Acceleration Project | US$150 million | February 2023 | Broadband backbone, e-government foundations and services, electronic medical records, digital skills. |
| Mozambique | Digital Acceleration Project | US$200 million | July 2022 | Rural connectivity, core digital infrastructure for government, data governance, data protection, cloud readiness, cybersecurity. |
Amounts and approval dates are from the World Bank project records, read on 2 November 2026. These are existing commitments, and several are in late implementation, so open each project page for its current status and procurement plan. A project on this list does not mean StepTo has been selected for it. Countries with projects still in the pipeline, or without a published amount, are left out.
How Can a Foreign Software Firm Compete on World Bank-Financed Contracts?
On World Bank-financed contracts, eligible firms from any country may compete, and the Bank does not accept mandatory joint ventures. A local partner is allowed but not required. Rules on contracts paid from national budgets or by other funders can differ, so read each notice.
| Question | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Who may compete on Bank-financed contracts? | The World Bank Procurement Regulations (seventh edition, September 2025, paragraph 3.20) say the Bank permits eligible firms and individuals from all countries to offer goods, works, non-consulting services and consulting services for Bank-financed projects. |
| Is a local partner required? | Not on Bank-financed contracts. Paragraph 5.38 allows joint ventures with domestic or foreign firms, with all partners jointly and severally liable, and says the Bank does not accept conditions that require mandatory joint ventures or other mandatory association between firms. |
| How are consulting firms chosen? | Often by quality- and cost-based selection (QCBS), defined in paragraph 7.3: the Proposal and the cost of the services are scored together, and the highest combined score wins, subject to the minimum technical score in the request for proposals. |
| Where do notices appear? | The World Bank describes STEP as an online system that helps it and borrowers plan, record and track the stages of procurement. UNGM lists UN procurement opportunities and offers supplier registration. Funders other than the World Bank publish their own rules, so read them for each programme. |
Sources: World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, seventh edition, World Bank on STEP and UNGM notices. This is general information, not legal advice. For Kenya's national rules see the Kenya page.
Which Data Protection Laws Apply in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda?
Each of the five has its own data protection statute and regulator, and an engineering partner works inside the environment you host. The table names the law and regulator only. Your counsel decides how cross-border access and hosting rules apply to a particular system.
| Country | Law | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 | Nigeria Data Protection Commission |
| Ghana | Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) | Data Protection Commission |
| Rwanda | Law n°058/2021 of 13/10/2021 on the protection of personal data and privacy, in effect from 15 October 2021 | National Cyber Security Authority |
| Tanzania | Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, in force from 1 May 2023 | Personal Data Protection Commission, which registers controllers and processors |
| Uganda | Data Protection and Privacy Act 2019 and Regulations 2021 | Personal Data Protection Office, under NITA-U |
Compiled from the DLA Piper data protection guide and the text of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. Read the statute and the regulator's current guidance before you rely on this summary.
How Much of the Working Day Does a Belgrade Team Share With African Clients?
Most of it. These African countries are between 2 hours behind and 2 hours ahead of Belgrade depending on the country and the season, and none of them observes daylight saving time.
| Countries | Offset | Belgrade in winter (UTC+1) | Belgrade in summer (UTC+2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana, Senegal | UTC+0 | 1 hour behind Belgrade | 2 hours behind |
| Nigeria | UTC+1 | Same time as Belgrade | 1 hour behind |
| Rwanda, Mozambique | UTC+2 | 1 hour ahead | Same time as Belgrade |
| Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia | UTC+3 | 2 hours ahead | 1 hour ahead |
Shared hours across the continent
Belgrade is on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. West Africa is 0 to 2 hours behind, Central and Southern Africa between the same time and 1 hour ahead, and East Africa 1 to 2 hours ahead, so working days overlap for most of the day.
Inside your delivery process
Engineers work in your repositories, tracker and chat and follow your review process. English is the working language for day-to-day work and documentation.
Terms signed first
An NDA, a data processing agreement and IP assignment terms are in place before any work begins, and your own legal team should review them as it would for any supplier.
Which Engagement Model Fits an African Digital Government Programme?
Staff augmentation suits a contractor with its own delivery lead, a dedicated team suits a system that needs a standing unit, and project work suits a bounded scope. In every case engineers start 2-4 weeks after the first call, after a two-week paid trial on real work.
| Model | Starting price | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Staff augmentation | From $4,500 per developer per month | A prime contractor or implementing agency has a delivery lead and needs engineers who join its sprints and repositories. See staff augmentation |
| Dedicated team | From $13,500 per month for a team of three | A system such as an ID, registry or service portal needs a standing team under its own lead for the length of the programme. See dedicated teams |
| Project work | From $9,000 | A bounded piece of work, for example an integration, a module or a rebuild, is handed to a partner to deliver end to end. See pricing |
Full terms, including the 30-day replacement guarantee and 30 days' notice, are on the pricing page.
How Does an Engagement With StepTo Start?
An engagement with StepTo starts in four steps, whether you add individual engineers or a dedicated team.
Step 1
First call
A first call with StepTo about the roles, stack and seniority you need.
Step 2
Engineers join in 2-4 weeks
StepTo engineers join your team 2-4 weeks after the first call.
Step 3
Two-week paid trial
The first two weeks are a paid trial on real work, before you commit to the full term.
Step 4
Free replacement within 30 days
If an engineer is not the right fit within the first 30 days, StepTo replaces them at no extra cost.
StepTo staff augmentation starts from $4,500 per developer per month, with a 3-month minimum, weekly billing and a 30-day notice period to scale down; a dedicated team of three engineers starts from $13,500 per month, billed monthly. There is no recruitment fee; full terms are on the pricing page.
Which StepTo Engagements Show How a Remote Team Is Run Under Audit and Over Time?
StepTo's published case studies come from commercial clients in Europe. A payments rebuild for a Series B fintech in Lithuania passed compliance recertification on schedule with zero critical findings, and an 18-month dedicated React team for a German SaaS startup cut time-to-feature from 3 weeks to 5 days.
B2B SaaS · Series A SaaS Startup, Germany
Dedicated React Team: Shipping in 5-Day Cycles
5 days
feature cycle · StepTo team: 4 React engineers + 1 tech lead · 18 months (ongoing)
- 14 features in their first quarter, up from 3 in the prior quarter
- Time-to-feature dropped from 3 weeks to 5 days
Fintech · Series B Payments Fintech, Lithuania
Fintech Payments Compliance Rebuild
18×
faster reconciliation · StepTo team: 4 engineers · 5 months
- recertification passed on schedule with zero critical findings
- reconciliation time cut 18× (from 3 days to under 4 hours)
- reconciliation discrepancies down 92%
Clients are not named. On request, StepTo can arrange a reference call with a past client, under NDA.
What Do Buyers in African Public-Sector Programmes Ask a European Software Partner?
Can a Serbian software company work on World Bank-financed digital programmes in Africa?
The World Bank Procurement Regulations say the Bank permits eligible firms from all countries to offer goods, works and services for Bank-financed projects, and they do not accept mandatory joint ventures. Eligibility for a specific contract depends on its procurement notice, so StepTo reads the notice before it takes part.
Which African countries does StepTo cover?
StepTo works remotely from Belgrade, so it is not tied to one country. This page uses the World Bank programmes in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal and Mozambique to show where public digital programmes are funded. Kenya has its own page, and StepTo discusses other countries case by case.
Does StepTo have past projects in Africa?
StepTo has no published Africa case studies. Its published case studies come from commercial clients in Europe and are listed on the work page. On request, StepTo can arrange a reference call with a past client under NDA, and on a call it can explain which parts of that experience apply to your programme.
Where must government data be hosted?
It depends on each country's law and on how the data is classified, so your counsel decides. StepTo engineers work inside the environment you host, which leaves hosting and access rules with you. The table above lists the data protection law and regulator for five countries.
What does it cost?
Staff augmentation is from $4,500 per developer per month, a dedicated team of three is from $13,500 per month, and fixed-scope project work is from $9,000. Rates run from $25 to $85 per hour depending on seniority.
Can one team serve programmes in several countries?
StepTo works remotely from Belgrade, so one team can support programmes in several of the countries listed above, within the 0 to 2 hour offsets in the time-zone table. Engineers join 2-4 weeks after the first call, after a two-week paid trial on real work, and StepTo replaces an engineer at no extra cost if the fit is wrong within the first 30 days.
Do you work with digital ID and data-exchange projects?
Digital ID, data sharing between agencies and service portals are the themes in the World Bank programmes listed above. StepTo's published work includes a payments rebuild that passed compliance recertification with zero critical findings, and its government digital services page covers registry and e-ID integration in general terms.
Is Serbia part of the EU?
No. Serbia is not an EU member state, so tenders that require an EU-based supplier need a different route, for example subcontracting through an eligible prime contractor. Check the eligibility rules in each tender document.
Ready to Talk About Engineering Capacity for a Digital Government Programme in Africa?
Tell StepTo the country, the programme and the roles you need. The first call takes 15 minutes, and engineers can join 2-4 weeks later.
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