The European Commission has recently proposed an African-European partnership for the continent’s digital transformation as part of their strategy with Africa. Earth Observation from space is identified as essential digital technology providing information for evidence-based policy and decision making. The vast amount of free data to be processed and analysed requires adopting the latest digital tools such as cloud computing and innovative machine learning techniques. The EO AFRICA (African Framework for Research Innovation, Communities and Applications) initiative will contribute to full EO data access and usage across Africa, overcoming low-bandwidth and infrastructure bottlenecks that persist across the continent. The initiative is driven by African user needs and follows a long-term vision (>10 years) for the emergent digital era in Africa. It builds on 17 years of experience gained through the ESA TIGER initiative and its African network of EO experts. It aims to facilitate the sustainable adoption of Earth Observation and related space technology in Africa.