Business Wire

1 st Edition of the Africa Digital Economy Forum: the Digital Economy at the Heart of the Challenges of a Changing Africa

Share

The first edition of the Africa Digital Economy Forum, organized by La Tribune Afrique in partnership with Huawei, was held online on Thursday, December 2, 2021. The objective of the event was to put the digital economy at the heart of Africa's challenges, and to lead to concrete actions, both in terms of investments and regulation of the digital sector.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211213005382/en/

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Senegal, Mr. Macky SALL, welcomed the event, which he said is part of the promotion of "the digital economy in Africa around themes such as digital strategy and training, training of talent, network infrastructure and innovation.

The event began with two speeches by Delphine CHENE, President of La Tribune Afrique and Catherine CHEN, Vice President and Director of the Board of Directors of Huawei. Stressing the ties that unite Huawei to the African continent, Catherine Chen recalled the Group's ambition in terms of social responsibility: "We assume our social responsibility through major investments throughout the world, and more specifically in Africa. For example, we are positioning ourselves in Senegal by supporting 60 schools, just as we are contributing to the construction of innovative infrastructures in Ethiopia. Thus, on the African continent, Huawei wants to be a development partner, able to accompany the continent in the expression of its full potential.”

This was followed by debates led by prestigious speakers, including Roger ADOM, Minister of Digital Economy, Telecommunications and Innovation of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Yankhoba DIATTARA, Minister of Digital Economy and Telecommunications of Senegal, Papa Amadou SARR, Minister-Delegate General for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth of Senegal, Alpha BARRY President and CEO of Atos Africa, Cristina DUARTE, Special Advisor to the United Nations for Africa, Catherine CHEN, Vice President and Director of the Board of Huawei, Colin HU, President Cloud & AI of Huawei Northern Africa, Mohamed BEN AMOR - Secretary General AICTO, Mohammed Tawfik MOULINE, Director General of the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies, Huria ALI MAHDI, Ethiopian Minister of Technology and Innovation, Lacina KONÉ, Director General of Smart Africa, Élisabeth MEDOU-BADANG, Area Director and Spokesperson for Orange in Africa and the Middle East, Malek KOCHLEF, Director General of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Higher Education of Tunisia, Amane DANNOUNI, Managing Director & Partner in BCG, Professor Mohamed AYMAN ASHOUR, Omar SEGHROUCHNI, President of the CNDP.

The event was marked by the holding of several round tables, keynotes and other structuring speeches, highlighting the main issues of the digital economy, such as the acceleration of the development of digital infrastructure in Africa, the prospects of the digital economy, or the training of talent needed for the digital development of the continent.

Colin HU, President Cloud & AI of Huawei Northern Africa, said, "Digitization is a journey: for the city, it has social value, while for businesses, it has business value. That's why Huawei is committed to promoting it through investments, but also through in-depth studies. Our reports, such as "Intelligent World 2030", can serve as a reference in this area. They are intended to guide or at best inspire public and private organizations in their strategy.”

As part of this path to digitalization, infrastructure is the sine qua none of Africa's digital development and is crucial to accelerate connectivity. Roger ADOM, Minister of Digital Economy, Telecommunications and Innovation of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, said: "Strengthening the digital economy in Africa will require strong inter-state collaboration. Promising and extensive initiatives are already in place, such as Smart Africa. Through this project, states share best practices in a partnership approach. Close collaboration between the public and private sectors is also required to generate sustainable investments and accelerate the continent's development.”

Yankhoba DIATTARA, Minister of Digital Economy and Telecommunications of Senegal recalled that "in Africa, the penetration rate of the Internet is 39.8%, while 30% of the continent's population lives in an area of connectivity without having access to it - mainly because of high costs. This is why we believe that connectivity must be accompanied by affordability. If we win this challenge, Africa can reach 70% connectivity. More than the quality of the infrastructure, the availability of access for all strata of African societies must be taken into account.”

Beyond the essential role of infrastructure, the Africa Digital Economy Forum was also the scene of a deep reflection on the importance of training young talent in the digital sector. In his speech, Papa Amadou SARR, Minister, General Delegate for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth of Senegal presented the African continent as "aware of the fact that it is necessary to train its youth, 60% of the total population, in order to meet the growing demands of the labor market, each day more professional. To do this, it is necessary to focus on training policies, while prioritizing the teaching of skills related to new technologies.”

Beyond Senegal, Ethiopia has also given itself the ambition to become a heavyweight in the digital sector in Africa, as underlined by Huaria Ali Mahdi, Minister of Technology and Innovation of Ethiopia: "We want to make Ethiopia the digital center of Africa in the sectors of agriculture, tourism and industry. According to him, "while the digital economy is transforming African societies, each nation has a different context and needs. Thus, each country must have its own strategy to ensure sustainable development.”

As evidenced by this Forum, digitization is becoming increasingly important in Africa, as the continent is increasingly giving itself the means to strengthen its sovereignty. Lacina KONE, Managing Director of Smart Africa, explained that "throughout Africa, a real political will has emerged at the level of heads of state, to seize the train of what is already called the 4th industrial revolution. This is a welcome dynamic: we are convinced that governance within the digital transformation must be at the center of socio-economic development of all African nations. More than ever, decision-making bodies must base their strategies on the digital economy."

To conclude this 1st edition of the Africa Digital Economy Forum, Cristina DUARTE, Special Advisor for Africa at the UN, highlighted the role of the health crisis in the digital transformation in Africa: "The Covid-19 pandemic is an ordeal of opportunity: it has planted the seeds of a new imagination of the African economic structure on a large scale, accelerating trends such as digitization. Change is underway across Africa: the continent must seize the digital transformation underway to access the development it seems promised.”

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Audrey NGOH DAD
and@35nord.com
+33-6-64-21-94-45

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire



Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and Palantir Partner to Create Safe Conditions for In-Person Education in Schools28.3.2024 10:00:00 CET | Press release

The Ministry of Education and Science, along with Palantir (NYSE:PLTR), a leading provider of AI systems, have signed an agreement. The main goal is to facilitate qualitative transformations in the field of education and ensure the maximum number of children have access to safe in-person learning. The agreement, initially for 12 months, will support the Government’s official School Offline initiative which aims to provide 300,000 more Ukrainian pupils with safe access to a school. New software tooling will enable: Funding allocated for school bomb shelters to be targeted where it will deliver the greatest benefit for children and young people of a school age. Every school to receive a risk rating according to a methodology recently adopted in law as a Cabinet of Ministers decree, in order to help identify targeted measures that will improve the safety of a school. The rating will take into account factors such as historic shelling in the area, presence of a bomb shelter, safety of acce

Guidewire Jasper Release Boosts Commercial Lines Agility for P&C Insurers and Strengthens Functionality Across Entire Product Portfolio28.3.2024 08:05:00 CET | Press release

Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) announces Jasper, its latest release, which boosts commercial lines agility for P&C insurers with support for layered coinsurance, schedule import, and a new U.S. Bureau Content Solution.* Additionally, expanded HazardHub data for Canada gives insurers deeper property risk insights for underwriting precision. Jasper release will be generally available on April 5, 2024. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240328607054/en/ “Commercial lines insurers face both risk and opportunity. On the one hand, there are economic fluctuations, including inflation, geopolitical complexities, capital limitations, and environmental challenges. On the other hand, the protection gap creates growth opportunities for insurers that innovate to stay ahead of the evolving risk landscape,” said Eugene Lee, senior vice president and general manager, InsuranceSuite, Guidewire. For P&C insurers seeking to improve commerc

Surge announces closing of a €7.5 million fundraising round to decrypt the immune system and transform precision medicine28.3.2024 08:00:00 CET | Press release

Surge has just closed its second round of funding, raising €7.5 million. The round was led by Eurazeo with the participation of Kima, Teampact, and MH Innov’, as well as the support of historical funds Boutique Venture, HCVC, and 50 Partners Santé. The fundraising is complemented by grants from BPI, including support for deep tech development and the Future Investment Program, of which Surge was a laureate. This second round of funding, marked by the entry of strategic investors, reflects Surge's accelerated development and the beginning of the commercial expansion phase. This funding will enable the opening of SurgeLab™, a premier laboratory dedicated to the discovery of immune biomarkers, and the finalization of PreCyte®'s industrialization. It will also support the refinement of its cutting-edge AI algorithms. "Building on solid scientific and technical fundamentals, Surge has already demonstrated the relevance of its biomarker discovery platform to address concrete clinical needs a

EIG’s MidOcean Energy Completes Acquisition of Tokyo Gas’ Interests in Portfolio of Australian Integrated LNG Projects28.3.2024 08:00:00 CET | Press release

MidOcean Energy (“MidOcean”), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, today announcedthe completion of its previously announced agreement to acquire Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd’s (“Tokyo Gas”) interests in a portfolio of Australian integrated LNG projects. The acquisition includes Tokyo Gas’ interests in the Gorgon LNG, Pluto LNG and Queensland Curtis LNG projects. The portfolio benefits from experienced operators, including Chevron, Woodside and Shell, and spans the LNG value chain from upstream operations to midstream, liquefaction and sales. As part of the transaction, MidOcean will open an office in Perth, Australia, to support and oversee the projects. R. Blair Thomas, EIG’s Chairman and CEO said, “We are strong believers in the role of LNG as a key enabler of the energy transition and have formed MidOcean to provide partners and investors differentiated exposure to the asset class. W

Midea Group Breaks Revenue and Profit Records with RMB 373.7 Billion in 202328.3.2024 06:48:00 CET | Press release

Midea Group, the world's largest home appliance supplier, has reported impressive growth and record profits in its 2023 annual report. The company achieved a total revenue of RMB 373.7 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.10%. Concurrently, the net profit attributable to shareholders reached RMB 33.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.10%, marking the largest growth since 2019. The company's success is attributed to its "Global Impact" strategy, which has resulted in overseas sales accounting for over 40% of its total sales for several years. Midea's products have been exported to over 200 countries and regions worldwide, and it is continuously expanding its overseas manufacturing layout, promoting the construction of manufacturing bases in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Egypt, and other countries. Midea's new energy and industrial technology are co-builders of digital transformation and green sustainable development in the global industrial field,

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye