Public Management (432)
Government-owned postal company SOPECO wants to become a leading player in the digitization of the country’s services. To achieve that goal, it is joining forces with technology partners specialized in the field.
The Indian group ATDXT will support the Congolese Posts and Savings Company (SOPECO) in the digitization of its activities. A partnership agreement was signed, Thursday, March 29, to this effect between the two companies to create a digital finance platform promoting savings and microlending.
"We aim to popularize these inclusive products that range from digital savings and wallets to micro-loans, through a digital platform [that can be used from] a telephone. This will allow consumers to for instance make purchases without using cash and resell services, generating additional income to sustain their business,” said Ludovique Mbossa (photo, right), SOPECO’s general manager.
Thanks to that agreement, SOPECO joins the Senegalese and Djiboutian state postal companies that have already taken steps to digitize their activities. Under that deal, a digital savings platform, "Nova digitale", will be set up for SOPECO to improve financial inclusion by promoting access to financing for individuals and SMEs that are still left behind.
This partnership comes four months after the agreement signed between the Indian group ATDXT and the Congolese Minister of Digital Economy, Léon Juste Ibombo, to support the country in the realization of several projects, the most important of which is the digitization of SOPECO.
Samira Njoya
In Nigeria, only a few states have access to reliable and affordable Internet. To address this deficit, the federal government is stepping up actions such as setting up and funding digital projects.
The Nigerian government on Wednesday (March 29) agreed to provide free broadband Internet access in 75 public places, including 20 airports, several tertiary institutions, and six marketplaces in the 36 states of the Federation. The Federal Executive Council of Nigeria (FEC) approved two contracts worth N24.20 billion ($52.5 million) for that purpose.
According to Digital Minister Isa Ali Pantami, the cost of providing broadband infrastructure to tertiary institutions and airports is N18.95 billion, while the second approval to provide broadband to selected markets is N5.25 billion.
“We want to ensure that students and staff benefit from unlimited internet. For airports, we know the difficulty when you land without any connectivity,” said Isa Ali Pantami.
“[...] for markets, it’s to support innovation-driven enterprises that are being championed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where we try to give global visibility to our innovators, to our micro, small and medium enterprises, so that their market is not going to be narrowed and restricted only to our local communities,” he added.
The funding will finance the 2nd and 3rd phases of a broadband infrastructure project launched by the federal government. In 2019, the FEC approved a memo for the unlimited provision of Internet in 18 universities under the first phase of the project.
The said project is in line with the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, which aims to increase broadband penetration to 70% nationwide.
Samira Njoya
The digital revolution offers great opportunities for Africa. However, to capitalize on those opportunities for socioeconomic progress, the continent needs to develop its digital ecosystem.
Egypt and Germany plan to enhance their digital cooperation. The issue was discussed by the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, and the German Ambassador in Cairo, Frank Hartmann, during a meeting between the two parties in Cairo last Tuesday.
According to a release from the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the two parties discussed current and future ICT cooperation projects, including the "Supporting e-Government and Innovation in the Public Administration (InnoPA)" project, being implemented in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
“During the meeting, the ICT Minister highlighted MCIT's keenness to leverage the distinguished expertise of the German side in IT and research and development (R&D) based on modern technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation,” the release informs.
Indeed, for some years now, Germany has been one of the most technologically advanced countries. According to the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL Index), the global ranking of countries according to digital quality of life published in October 2022, Germany was the 3rd just behind Israel, and Denmark. The DQL index took into account 5 criteria, namely the quality of the Internet connection, e-government, cyberinfrastructure, Internet accessibility, and cybersecurity capabilities.
By strengthening its digital cooperation with such a country, Egypt wants to capitalize on Germany’s experience to successfully implement the projects planned in its 2022-2026 Country Strategy Paper while selling its outsourcing services and building a “talent pool capable of exporting ICT services.”
Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Egypt, Frank Hartmann said that his country wants to open its market to benefit from the pool of Egyptian freelancing talent working in the IT sector.
Samira Njoya
The Kenyan government has embarked on a vast digital project to let the population benefit from information technologies. To quickly achieve its objectives, it needs as many partners as possible.
Kenyan ICT Minister Eliud Owalo recently called private investors to join the government to modernize digital infrastructures.
While chairing a sector consultative meeting with the country's ICT community on Monday, March 27 in Mombasa, Eliud Owalo said the government has enough pilot projects that need funding to become operational.
The government official explained that the meeting was organized to facilitate discussions between the government and stakeholders on strategies to implement to boost ICT adoption and identify opportunities in the sector.
He indicated that several digital projects were underway in the country in partnership with the private sector. Such projects include the local manufacturing of smartphones and the construction of a smart university to train tech graduates.
To achieve all the initiatives planned in the "digital highway project", the state will have to rely on partnerships with the private sector and other development partners, he said.
Under the recently-launched digital highway project, more than 100,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable will be laid across Kenya; 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots will be created and digital villages and studios set up in each of the country's 1,450 districts, as well as the digitization of 5,000 government services by mid-2023.
Samira Njoya
To improve administrative and financial efficiency, the Seychelles public administration bets on digital transformation. To this end, it has launched projects in several sectors.
The Port of Victoria will digitize all of its services by next October for its 50th anniversary. Last Monday, Seychelles Transport Minister Antony Derjacques launched the Victoria Port Management Information System (PVMIS) project at the New Port in Victoria.
“The system will streamline processes before the vessels' arrival, optimize cargo flows, and improve the efficiency of operations by giving all stakeholders access to quality information via a single web-based application,” explained Egbert Moustache, deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), as reported by Seychelles News Agency.
The project is the result of a collaboration between the SPA, InfoPort and 4SH -two companies based in Reunion, a French overseas department- and the European Union under its Africa RISE initiative.
With funding from the European Union, consultants will carry out the business mapping process in the coming days to obtain information from all SPA stakeholders. They will then proceed to develop the system thanks to funding from InfoPort. According to the Seychelles News Agency, it will cost SPA €400,000 to buy the system.
Once operational, the system will allow Seychelles to comply with the FAL Convention -the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention for the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic- by 2024.
The port of Victoria is Seychelles’ most important port and its main hub for trade with the rest of the world. The port handles about 95% of the country's imports.
Samira Njoya
Kenya, which is at the forefront of Africa's young technology scene, is increasingly attracting international companies looking to tap into the potential of its burgeoning IT sector. In that context, authorities are developing resources to facilitate the liaison between the various parties.
Last Friday, the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) officially launched the Kenya Innovation Bridge, a digital marketplace to connect innovators, inventors, researchers, and start-ups with funders, customers, and users, in Mombasa.
This marketplace aims to enable as many innovations as possible to scale up by attracting appropriate funding and partnerships.
According to George Masila (photo, left), KeNIA's head of communications and partnerships, the marketplace was set up because there was a gap between innovators and people interested in their innovations.
“What we did is we developed a platform that would enable them to have that direct connection with those people who will be interested in whatever they are doing. [...] The innovation platform is just a simple interface that people of all levels of education can easily interact with. It’s almost like a LinkedIn or Facebook version,” he said.
Recently dubbed the "Silicon Savannah" because of its thriving technology ecosystem, Kenya is one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Swiss Business Hub Southern Africa, this technology ecosystem is estimated to be worth $1 billion and is an attractive environment for businesses, investors, and high-tech professionals. It is already host to subsidiaries of leading companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and Intel.
With the launch of the Kenya Innovation Bridge, the Kenyan executive wants to further foster innovation in the country. The platform will link to investment/partnership and capacity-building opportunities that will turn innovations into commercially viable products and businesses, thereby contributing to job creation and overall economic growth in the country.
Samira Njoya
The rapidly changing world is powered by emerging technologies such as AI, 5G connectivity, and the cloud. It is, therefore, crucial to build public authorities' capacities in those technologies to enable them to participate in the ongoing digital transformation.
Last Friday, the Commonwealth Secretariat and U.S. tech company Intel launched a digital learning platform to enable public servants from the 56 Commonwealth member countries- including 21 African countries- to understand and harness emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
The program, titled "Digital Readiness for Public Sector Leaders," aims to demystify AI for senior Commonwealth officials and raise awareness of its potential applications in various sectors, reports the release issued by the organization.
Unveiling the platform at the Commonwealth's headquarters in London, Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland (photo) said, "this course is a new and important milestone achievement, which the Commonwealth has developed for our member countries in close collaboration with Intel. It provides a unique opportunity for public sector workers and leaders in member states to be trained in the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning."
Recent developments have forced governments to drive national digital transformation to improve services to citizens and maintain competitiveness by appropriately designing and using technology solutions. However, any digital transformation requires leadership training, and according to Gartner's "Transition to Digital Government in 2022," 80 percent of public sector leaders say they are lagging behind the private sector.
As such, the new program will enable governments to develop strategies, scalable solutions, and action plans for digital transformation in their communities. It covers topics such as digital governance, technology, infrastructure, and inclusion.
Samira Njoya
Gabon’s digital transformation strategy provides for the creation of several digital infrastructures to develop the ICT industry. Several players have recently sent proposals to help the government successfully implement that strategy.
The Gabonese Minister of Digital Economy, Jean Pierre Doukaga Kassa, received Thursday, an American delegation led by Dilawar Syed, Special Representative to the United States Office of Economic and Business Affairs.
On social media, the Ministry of Digital Economy said that the delegation came "to [express] U.S. [companies’] will to support Gabon in its major digital investment projects.”
The two parties reviewed the areas of cooperation between Gabon and the U.S., but also U.S. companies’ support in the development of the Gabonese digital ecosystem through the construction of infrastructure (backbone and data center), innovation (start-up and training), as well as the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework specifically in the fight against cybercrime and cybersecurity.
The visit comes in a context where Gabon is working to further develop its digital sector so that it can make a greater contribution to the transformation of its economy. Since 2009, through the strategic plan Emerging Gabon 2025, the government is working to make Gabon a model in the African digital sector by 2025.
Over the past few months, the country is visited by foreign investors who are offering to support the country in achieving its goal. Earlier this month, the Minister of Digital Economy also received a delegation of Indian businessmen who offered their expertise for the construction of data centers in the country.
On Twitter, Dilawar Syed said that the visit of U.S. investors comes in the wake of the U.S.-Africa summit and responds to the willingness of U.S. President Joe Biden to assist African countries in their digital transformation.
Samira Njoya
To prepare its youth for the digital future, the Republic of Guinea has decided to train them by setting up an innovative project.
The Republic of Guinea will finance the construction of a digital village, to the tune of $10 million. The project was announced, Monday, by its Digital Minister, Alpha Bacar Barry (photo), at the opening of a workshop on the project aimed at transforming the national institute of posts and telecommunications into a national institute for digital skills.
According to the official, the village will offer kindergarten-to-University digital training but also host infrastructure for capacity-building and continuing education. It will also host laboratories, incubators, and coworking spaces to develop the country’s digital industry. The digital village will also host all the start-ups and be a place for all digital-related exchanges in Guinea.
With the digital village, Guinean authorities want to develop the digital economy, build local talents, attract foreign investment, export its skills, and participate in global digital exchanges.
The foundation stone of the digital village will be laid next week, Minister Alpha Bacar Barry says.
Samira Njoya
17 years after its last population census, Nigeria is getting ready for the fifth census of its history. This census is particular in the country’s history as it will be its first digital census. The government is taking every possible measure to ensure smooth operations.
Nigeria has released NGN2.8 billion ($6 million) for the first digital population census scheduled for next May. This was announced by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday 15 March at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
According to the official, the money will be used to acquire software for the National Population Commission (NPC). "There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking some software to allow them to conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they cannot commence the census as scheduled. They sought the Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion," said Lai Mohammed.
Initially scheduled to take place between March and April, the digital population census will finally be held in May due to the governors' elections held from March 11 to 18. Last February, the National Population Commission (NPC) signed a groundbreaking $184 million contract with Lagos-based tech company Zinox Technologies to supply technology components and other accessories for the upcoming census.
Samira Njoya
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Like many African countries, Lesotho is undergoing digital transformation. The country has digitized some strategic government services and now targets new ones.
Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) launched, on March 14, an online collection system that allows taxpayers to file tax returns and pay dues online. According to a release issued by the government, the electronic service aims to expand the use of technology and facilitate tax payments.
For some time now, the Southern African Customs Union's (SACU) revenue has been declining, according to Finance Minister Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane (photo). As a result, the country is receiving fewer and fewer resources to finance the national budget.
So, to complement those revenues, Lesotho is implementing a set of measures (including the launch of the new system) to facilitate the collection of taxes and duties citizens and businesses owe the state.
According to Ms. Mathabo Mokoko, the acting commissioner general of the RSL, the new system will greatly facilitate tax filing and payment while reducing transportation costs and the fees needed for manual procedures.
Samira Njoya
In recent years, the federal government of Nigeria has multiplied collaborations with local startups. The aim is to harness the youth’s tech expertise for national development.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the use of the humanoid robot "Omeife" to enhance digital literacy in the country. A memorandum of understanding was signed to this effect on Saturday, March 11, between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Uniccon, the company that developed Omeife, the first humanoid robot in Africa.
According to Yau Isa Garba, national director of the NITDA’s National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, the “whole idea of the project is [...] to leverage Omeife to deepen digital literacy in Nigeria.”
“The plan is that we are going to use the robot- just like the way people use ChatGTP- for guidance, instructions, and so on,” he added.
Omeife was presented by Nigeria's vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, at the global innovation tradeshow Gitex, Dubai, in October 2022. The 1.80-meter-long female robot was manufactured with local components. It can speak Pidgin, Yoruba, English, French, Arabic, Kiswahili, Hausa, Igbo, and Afrikaans and understands different African cultures. According to Chucks Ekwueme, Uniccon’s CEO, Omeife is “not just multilingual, it can switch languages and interact with specific gestures—hand illustrations, smile, and other bodily gestures—that match the tone of the conversation.”
According to Barrister Emmanuel Edet who was representing the Director General of NITDA, Nigeria plans to develop an application that will allow everyone to take advantage of Omeife.
Meanwhile, according to Chuks Ekwueme, in a context where Nigeria targets 95% digital literacy by 2030, Omeife can lead the country and Africa in general into a digital future.
Samira Njoya
Despite the Tanzanian government’s efforts, the country is still facing a huge digital gender gap. Nevertheless, the country is upping actions to remove barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing digital tools.
The Tanzanian government and the World Bank have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women’s access to digital technologies.
On Tuesday, March 7, at a conference on women and technology held in Dar es Salaam ahead of International Women's Day, Nape Nnauye, the minister of information, communication, and technology, said the government and its partners are working to build a more inclusive and equitable future for women in technology in Tanzania.
The government has established a broad ICT program to involve women in the digital sector, we learn. According to Nape Nnauye, the Ministry of ICT plans to provide short and long-term training to 450 ICT professionals employed in the government, mainly women, starting in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.
Also, the government will soon unveil the National Digital Economy Strategy which is almost completed. The said strategy will lay out the country’s 10-year plan to develop its digital economy while closing the digital gender gap.
According to the Tanzanian ICT Commission, there are 1,011 registered male ICT professionals in the country against only 170 women. So, much remains to be done, according to Nathan Belete, the World Bank's country director for Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
By funding Tanzania’s digital projects, the World Bank wants to raise the number of Tanzanian women engaged in the digital ecosystem.
Samira Njoya
Cabo Verde’s 2030 national development strategy places digital transformation at the heart of development in every socio-economic sector. In the finance sector, digital tools are expected to boost competition and improve financial inclusion.
Cabo Verde will soon adopt a bill governing the establishment and operations of digital banks. Indeed, the country submitted a draft bill that will be reviewed by the parliament during its parliamentary session scheduled for March 8-10, 2023.
According to the preamble of the government bill, digital banking institutions will have to comply with the requirements prescribed in the money laundering and terrorism financing prevention acts and other applicable regulations.
The government believes that digital banks can be highly beneficial to the country’s economy. They can for instance boost competition, expand the product offering with advanced and specialized products and improve access to financing for SMEs. In that regard, the draft bill wants to regulate the activities, make the funding processes more efficient, and keep the interest rates charged for loans to various clients in check.
In Cabo Verde, seven banks operate with a general commercial license, employing nearly 1,300 workers. They recorded historic profits of 42.5 million euros in 2022, up 26.5 percent from the previous year, according to Central bank provisional data reported by Portuguese news agency Lusa in late February.
Samira Njoya