Public Management (335)
The African video game market is currently growing steadily with a rising number of gaming communities being built on the continent. It is therefore important to create a framework to develop the sector and train future professional gamers on the continent.
On April 19, 2023, in Dakar, the Senegalese eSport promotion committee CONAPES and Senegal Digital (SENUM SA) signed a partnership agreement to promote eSport in the country. The agreement aims to allow access to digital development centers (ESS) for gamers.
On Twitter, CONAPES explains that the partnership is an opportunity to democratize eSport, but also an opportunity to offer training in professions related to gaming, in line with the digital inclusion so desired by and for the Senegalese youth.
Under the agreement, SENUM SA and CONAPES will build a network of 45 ESSs dedicated only to gaming. Therefore, gamers will access the resources available to all the ESSs present in the 14 regions, including 6,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable offering very high-speed internet. The main objective is to create 45 eSport Clubs (Pro Gamer), 45 eLeagues, and a national eSport competition, namely the Senum Esport Competition (SECO).
The partnership will also give CONAPES staff access to a vast training and mentoring program on professions related to electronic games, immersive sports, cybersports, techsport, and phygital sports including innovative technologies, artificial intelligence, drones, and exoskeletons...
For CONAPES, with such an agreement, Senegal becomes the first African country to launch a LAN network dedicated to competitive gaming.
Samira Njoya
Due to the lack of confidence in its currency, Zimbabwe has decided to introduce a digital currency backed by gold. The currency is expected to let citizens store value and protect themselves from exchange rate volatility.
Zimbabwe will soon launch a gold-backed digital currency in an attempt to stabilize its fiat currency, whose continued depreciation against the U.S. dollar is strangling the economy, local media outlet The Sunday Mail reported last Sunday, citing Central Bank Governor John Mangudya (photo).
According to the media outlet, the central bank governor explained that the planned currency would enable people with tiny quantities of Zimbabwean dollars to trade their money for digital tokens to preserve value and hedge against currency fluctuation.
He said the current high volatility in the exchange rate is linked to expectations of an increase in the supply of foreign currency in the market, with the start of the tobacco auction season. Indeed, the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) announced on March 8 that national tobacco production is expected to increase by 8.5% in 2023 to 230 million kg, thanks to good weather conditions and an increase in planted area.
Zimbabwe is facing a severe economic crisis since the early 2000s after former President Robert Mugabe's land reform broke up a key sector of the country's economy and forced it to stop repaying nearly $13 billion in debts to the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Paris Club member countries.
The expropriation of white farmers discouraged foreign investment and led to a sharp drop in exports, prompting the Mugabe regime to start printing large amounts of money, leading to a long period of hyperinflation. Against this backdrop, the government was forced to abandon the Zimbabwean dollar in favor of the U.S. dollar in 2009. The Zimbabwean dollar was then reintroduced in 2019 in an attempt to revive the stagnant economy, but it has since continued to depreciate against the greenback.
Confidence in the Zimbabwean currency has been low since people saw their savings wiped out by hyperinflation that reached 5 billion percent in 2008, according to the IMF. Most Zimbabweans prefer buying U.S. dollars on the black market to keep them as savings.
Partnerships between African countries are essential to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and let the continent successfully implement its digital plans. The agreement between Rwanda and Guinea falls in line with those goals.
Last Tuesday, Rwanda and the Republic of Guinea signed a memorandum of understanding for digital cooperation.
According to Mory Sanda Kouyaté (photo, right), Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, the memorandum covers cooperation in ICT, posts and telecommunications, digitization, and e-governance.
For several years now, Rwanda has made digital technology a pillar of development. To achieve its goals, the country launched in 2017, a National Transformation Strategy aimed primarily at providing quality services and care in the public and private sectors by 2024.
Guinea, for its part, has also launched digital projects to make life easier for its citizens. The transitional government recently launched an institutional reform program to equip the country with new systems and reliable policies adapted to the needs of its population.
With that bilateral agreement, the two countries will contribute their experience to further develop their respective ICT sectors and position themselves in East and West African digital markets.
By establishing a digital identification system, the Rwandan government plans to address the challenges faced by citizens who have no identity documents when accessing essential services.
The Rwandan parliament recently approved the revision of a bill governing registration in the national single digital identity system.
The draft law presented on Thursday, April 20, by ICT Minister Paula Ingabire, aims to give the government the required approvals to issue digital identity cards to stateless Rwandans and newborns.
“The enactment of the new law relating to enrollment into a single digital identity system will enable the country to close the existing gap in the current population identification system to a more advanced, effective, and efficient delivery of services in both private and public sectors,” said Paula Ingabire.
The project aims to establish a new digital identity card for Rwandans living within or outside the country. It will consist of a physical copy embedded with a QR code containing the holder’s biometric information, as well as a digital copy.
According to Minister Ingabire, the digital identification project will be implemented, over three years, by the National Identification Agency (NIDA) with funding from the World Bank ($40 million).
If passed, the new law will end the problems faced by stateless and other undocumented persons in the country. It will also solve the problem of scattered, contradictory data in the various databases of different institutions, recorded on paper.
For the ICT Minister, this project will be a catalyst for the development of a strong digital economy and a strong digital service delivery ecosystem that will improve productivity, income, and social welfare.
Samira Njoya
By reinforcing its cooperation with Estonia, which is the e-governance leader in Europe, Angola wants to become a digital government offering user-friendly and secure ICT solutions that make life easier for its citizens.
Last Friday, Angolan State Minister Adão de Almeida and Estonian IT Minister Kristjan Järvan signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The MoU, signed in Tallinn, Estonia, covers cooperation in the areas of digital governance, modernization of the administration, and capacity building.
“Estonia is one of the most advanced and innovative digital societies in the world, but reaching it is the fruit of decades of work. We are happy to share the accumulated knowledge, skills, and experience because digital capabilities are key to the social and economic development of any country,” said Kristjan Järvan.
Indeed, for several years, Estonia has been a model in the use of digital technology to simplify the lives of citizens, improve political efficiency and boost the economy. The country has succeeded in going digital. In 2020, the country was ranked 3rd in the E-Government Development Index unveiled by the United Nations. Last year, it was the 8th country with one of the best e-government development indexes in the world.
This status of e-government champion has earned the country invitations from many African countries -including Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mauritius- for digital cooperation.
The Memorandum of Understanding it signed with Angola thus allows the latter to capitalize on its digitization experience. The agreement will also enable Estonian companies to enter the Angolan market and more African countries.
Samira Njoya
Digitalization has proven to have positive impacts on socioeconomic development. In that regard, most African countries, Congo included, have placed digitization on the list of their key priorities.
This year, Congo will invest CFAF13.995 billion ($23.3 million) to strengthen residents’ access to the Internet and digital services. During the first meeting of the steering committee of the Digital Acceleration Project (PATN), several projects were discussed.
At the meeting, Minister of Digital Economy Leon Juste Ibombo explained that the activities to be carried out this year will help, among other things, create "a secure government intranet, a single portal for e-government services to citizens and many information systems to better manage the services offered to citizens.”
Of the CFAF13.995 billion budget set for 2023, CFAF5.720 billion will be used, among other things, to develop broadband connectivity, particularly in the universities Marien Ngouabi and Denis Sassou Nguesso in addition to some administrative buildings and isolated areas such as the department of Likouala. CFAF3.737 billion will fund the improvement of digital services offered to the population, civil registration services notably.
This session of the PATN steering committee marks the effective start of the 5-year project, backed to the tune of $100 million by the World Bank, €25 million ($27.5 million) by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a €15 million ($16.5 million) loan from the European Union.
By trying to make the Internet and digital services accessible to everyone, Congo bets on the digital economy as a driver of socioeconomic growth, productivity, and good governance.
Samira Njoya
According to UNESCO, investing in science, technology, and innovation (STI) is essential for economic development and social progress. But, it is all the same important to ensure access to the right information about the sector to enable effective and appropriate usage.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, on Tuesday, April 11, officially inaugurated the Nigerian Science, Technology and Innovation Television called "NSTI TV".
According to Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora (photo, center), NSTI TV is a multilingual science channel that will broadcast content in English, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa and will be accessible on any internet-enabled device.
“As part of our plans for ease of access to information, we have developed an indelible and robust Television that is Terrestrial, Satellite, and Internet-Based Science Over-The-Top (OTT) TV channel dedicated to Science and Technology knowledge dissemination, with a strong commitment to spreading scientific awareness, especially with Nigerian perspectives, ethos, and cultural milieu,” the government official said.
Over the past few years, Nigeria has implemented several actions to advance STIs and integrate them into Nigerians’ daily habits. According to Adeleke Mamora, if effectively exploited, they can propel Nigeria into the list of the top 20 economies in the world by 2030.
This television station was thus introduced as part of the Implementation of Executive Order No. 5 For the Development Of Local Content In Science, Engineering, And Technology. To this end, it will focus on Nigeria's contributions to STI by publishing the latest results and products of all research institutions and the latest developments in STI in Nigeria and the world.
According to the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Halilu Shabba, NSTI TV is a milestone for the agency as 25% local content was used in the creation of the channel.
Samira Njoya
Kenya wants to become a reference in digital transformation in Africa by 2027. To finance the projects it plans for that purpose, it seeks the support of the World Bank and private investors.
The World Bank will provide $390 million to finance the construction of Kenya’s digital infrastructure, a release dated April 5, 2023, informs.
According to the Bretton Woods Institution, the financial resources will fund the first phase of the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project. That first phase focuses “on expanding access to high-speed internet, improving the quality and delivery of education and selected government services, and building skills for the regional digital economy.”
“Broadening access to digital technologies and services is a cross-cutting pathway to accelerate economic growth and job creation, improve service delivery, and build resilience,” said Keith Hansen, World Bank country director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda.
A few weeks ago, Minister of Digital Economy Eliud Owalo announced that Kenya was in talks with the World Bank to obtain $600 million to fund its Digital Superhighway Project.
Phase 1, which has been financed, will run from 2023 to 2028. Phase 2 will run from 2026 to 2030, focusing on building a secure, data-driven environment to enhance digital service delivery and innovation for the regional digital economy.
According to Keith Hansen, the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project aims to make the country's growth more equitable by reducing disparities in digital skills and connectivity, and expanding the digital marketplace.
Samira Njoya
Senegal, through its digital strategy, aims to become an innovative leader in Africa by 2025. However, several projects are still lagging, two years before the deadline. Therefore, the country is multiplying partnerships to accelerate its implementation.
Last Saturday, the Senegalese Minister of Communication Moussa Bocar Thiam (photo, left) announced a memorandum of understanding with the UAE company Presight ai LTD.
On Twitter, the government official indicated that the new partnership aims to support Senegal in the implementation of various projects, namely digital identity and addressing and tax digitization projects.
Under the newly signed MOU, Senegal will receive financial support for the implementation of the digital projects mentioned. The digital addressing project was initiated in February 2021 to map the entire national territory and assign a digital address to each geographical location.
The digital identity project, launched on June 24, 2022, aims to provide an operational, reliable, secure, and accessible digital identity to Senegalese users by 2024. As for the digitization of taxes, the project was launched several years ago, to allow online tax filing and payment.
On Monday, April 10, 2023, Moussa Bocar Thiam also signed a memorandum of understanding with the company PANAMAX in Dubai. That MoU finances the development of a digital post solution and covers the company’s participation in the digital week "SENEGALCONNECT" - May 16-20, 2023 in Dakar- organized by the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy.
Samira Njoya
Cameroon, like several African countries, has officially adopted online visas. The system announced months ago will become effective in a few days.
Starting from April 30, 2023, applications for Cameroonian visas will be exclusively made online, announced Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, through a release issued on Thursday, April 6.
According to the release, regardless of the applicant’s geographic location, visa applications must be submitted on www.evisacam.cm following established administrative procedures. After the application, visa fees will be paid via various methods, namely Mastercard, Visa, Paypal, Mobile Money, Orange Money, Moov, Wave, Safaricom, Airtel, Vodacom, and Africell.
An online visa authorization will then be issued to the applicant who will be able to go either to a diplomatic mission or to a border post to retrieve the visa within three days. In this final stage, applicants’ biometric data, fingerprints, facial images, etc., will be collected.
The Cameroonian government received the equipment for the project from Abidjan-based company Impact Palmarès R&D SAS in June 2022. The bill updating the legal framework was submitted to the National Assembly on July 2, 2022, and the decree updating the conditions of entry, stay, and exit of foreigners in Cameroon was signed last month by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya.
The reform prescribed by the President of the Republic is the first step toward the digital transformation of Cameroon’s diplomatic apparatus. According to Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella, "the e-visa system [aims] to make Cameroon a more attractive destination, address the grievances of the Cameroonian diaspora and upgrade the consular system to international standards.”
Samira Njoya
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Nigeria plays a key role in the African entrepreneurial ecosystem. To consolidate this position, the country is staking resources to further stimulate innovation, create jobs and promote economic growth.
Muhammadu Buhari (photo, left), the outgoing president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, inaugurated the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NCDIE) on Wednesday, April 5.
The NCDIE, chaired by President Buhari, has 13 other members and its mission is to promote the development of the country's digital economy and create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs to flourish.
The council will also oversee the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act 2022, a law enacted last December to stimulate the growth of innovative startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
“The law, which was developed as part of a collaborative approach between the Office of the President and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, with support from the technical ecosystem, provides incentives and support to start-ups, such as tax breaks, access to finance, ease of doing business, intellectual property protection and participation in government procurement,” said Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigeria's start-up ecosystem still faces significant challenges such as access to finance and the high cost of creating original products. Despite these obstacles, Nigeria has been at the forefront of startup growth in Africa in recent years with more than $4 billion raised between 2019 and 2022, the president reported.
Thus, the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act will be an important step in addressing these challenges and promoting the growth and inclusiveness of the national startup ecosystem. According to President Muhammadu Buhari, this will help consolidate and develop the gains made in the digital economy.
Samira Njoya
In recent years, digital tools have proven important for socioeconomic development. However, most African countries are still lagging in terms of digitization, making them unable to capitalize on the opportunities offered by those tools. It is therefore urgent for international partners to support the countries to accelerate digital transformation, therefore facilitating development.
Last Monday, the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF), Louise Mushikiwabo (photo, left), and the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin (photo, right), signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation to strengthen the partnership between the IOF and the ITU.
According to the release issued by the IOF, "the actions envisaged through this declaration aim to contribute to ensuring connectivity for all and a sustainable digital transformation. The areas of collaboration taken into account are advocacy for digital connectivity and respect for multilingualism during international consultations and exchanges.”
The declaration also focuses on the acceleration of digital transformation in French-speaking countries, valorization of the expertise of French-speaking professionals, and letting populations -the youth and women notably- get a good grasp of digital issues.
For several months now, the IOF has been multiplying partnerships for the development of the digital sector in French-speaking countries, African countries included. In December, the organization signed a framework cooperation agreement with the West African Development Bank (BOAD) to support digital transformation in WAEMU countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
The declaration is in line with the decisions taken during the last Summit of La Francophonie in Djerba, Tunisia -held on November 19-20, 2022, on the theme "Connectivity in digital diversity as a vector of development and solidarity in the Francophone space"- and the Strategic Plan for the ITU 2024-2027 adopted at the Plenipotentiary Conference held in Bucharest, Romania in October 2022.
Samira Njoya
East African economic powerhouse Kenya is facing its worst drought in decades. With Taifa-1, the country will be able to predict drought-related disasters and speed up the response of emergency programs.
The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) will launch its first operational Earth observation satellite, called Taifa-1, next week, the government announced Monday, April 3.
According to a joint statement from the Ministry of Defense and the Kenya Space Agency, "Taifa-1," or Nation-1 in Swahili, is scheduled to launch on April 10 aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Base in California.
According to Hillary Kipkosgey (photo), KSA's director general, "The launch of Taifa-1 is a moment of national pride, because it will play a critical role in decision support in several socioeconomic activities, including environmental monitoring, natural resources management, and agriculture."
Taifa-1 was jointly developed by the University of Nairobi and the Sapienza University of Rome, with launch support provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
For Hillary Kipkosgey, the satellite will help build the country’s capacities in space, systems engineering, space operations, data processing and analysis, services, and ground station operations.
With the launch of Taifa-1, Kenya joins a very closed circle of African countries that have at least one satellite in the orbit. The first African country to launch its satellite into orbit was Egypt. It was followed by a dozen countries and the continent now has more than 40 satellites in total, according to the platform Space In Africa.
Samira Njoya
A few years ago, Rwanda embarked on a massive digital transition that covers every sector.
The Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), on Saturday, April 1, launched an innovative digital medical insurance system called RSSB KWIVUZA.
On Twitter, the institution explains that the platform will, among other things, streamline healthcare operations and simplify payment processes. According to Regis Rugemanshuro, CEO of RSSB KWIVUZA, the system was tested extensively during the pilot phase, with positive feedback from the 30 health facilities that were integrated.
Currently, the system covers healthcare mutual services with plans to include the Rwanda Health Insurance (RAMA) and high-level healthcare facilities such as district and provincial hospitals, private hospitals, clinics, polyclinics, and pharmacies, by the end of the year.
RSSB is expected to become the platform where 96% of healthcare mutual invoices are processed since it will be the standard invoicing platform of every healthcare institution. The platform will improve healthcare providers’ payment collection deadline, reducing it to a maximum of 15 days, compared to 80 days previously, which will significantly improve their cash flow and liquidity.
This platform is launched after another one introduced in early February by RSSB to give members an accurate idea of their pension contributions. It is one of the many innovations in the RSSB 2020-2025 strategic plan to transform RSSB into a high-performance, data-driven organization by 2025.
Samira Njoya