Register here
Cina Lawson is Togo’s Minister of Public Service Efficiency and Digital Transformation. With more than 20 years of experience in digital policy, regulation, and institutional reform, she has been a driving force behind Togo’s successful transition to an inclusive, innovation-driven digital economy.
Lawson began her career at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., supporting governments in emerging markets in implementing regulatory and sectoral reforms. She later joined Alcatel-Lucent in Paris, before moving to New York City as Manager of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Orange Group.
Since joining the Togolese government, Lawson has reshaped the country’s regulatory landscape to stimulate innovation, competition, and private investment. She has pioneered groundbreaking public–private partnerships—often structured as joint ventures—to attract world-class technology players such as Google, CSquared, Asseco, and Axian in service of the public interest.
Under her leadership, Togo became the first country in West Africa to roll out 5G services. Over the past decade, she has dramatically expanded digital access nationwide, increasing mobile telephony penetration from 33% in 2010 to 78% in 2021; mobile internet penetration from 1% in 2010 to 74% in 2021; and mobile
money usage from 1% in 2013 to 57% in 2021.
Lawson has also championed digital innovation as a tool for financial inclusion and social protection. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she designed and launched Novissi, a fully digital emergency cash transfer program that provided $34 million in financial assistance to a quarter of Togo’s adult population—becoming one of
the world’s most cited examples of rapid, inclusive digital response.
Her leadership has earned international recognition from the World Economic Forum, SXSW, Forbes, and Harvard University. She was the first African woman public servant to receive the Harvard Alumni Public Service Award, in 2019. She received Togo’s highest civilian honor, Commandeur de l’Ordre National du
Mono in 2025. She currently co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on GovTech and Digital Public Infrastructure.
Lawson is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She speaks fluent French, English, and Ewe (Mina).
Stay informed on the Commission’s work
Receive updates on reports, events and key developments in global AI governance.
