Public Management (335)
Nigeria is currently working on a program to train 1 million developers in the coming 18 months, Communications Minister Isa Ali Pantami (photo) announces.
The government official made the revelation during a virtual event on the “Role of Software Testing in Nigeria’s Digital Economy.” He stressed the need to license more software developers given the increasingly major role being played by software in all aspects of human life. He also pointed at the need for a secure system to make sure the market is not ridden with vulnerable software.
“We want to see how we can license some of you to provide these services, that means if I develop software, I need to come to a certified tester to make sure I meet the standard quality assurance; all the basic bug-free, and the vulnerability assessment before I am able to sell that software,” he said.
The training program will be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and target both professionals and inexperienced actors. During the virtual event, Isa Ali also called digital actors to support the program.
Vanessa Ngono Atangana
In the past, the processing of census data collected was strenuous and long. With digitalization, the country will improve processing time as well as the accuracy of the data collected.
Mali launched, Wednesday (June 15), its fifth population census. Dubbed RGPH5, this census will be the first to go all-digital in the country. Data will be collected and processed on tablet computers.
According to Dr. Arouna Sougané, director-general of the national institute for statistics (INSTAT), digitalization will improve the quality of the data collected and processing time. Indeed, initial results are expected for the fourth quarter of this year. He explains that the census aims to elaborate a database detailing the population size, its structure, and geographical distribution. The database will improve the efficiency of development actions as well as give an idea of the progress recorded in the implementation of development programs.
To organize the RGPH5, Mali raised XOF25 billion (US$40.2 million) thanks to support from the World Bank and other partners. It also deployed 26,327 census officials, 4,504 team supervisors, and 866 tech supports.
Per the provisions of the United Nations Statistical Commission, a population census should be carried out every ten years or so. Mali’s first population census was carried out in 1976, the second one was in 1987, and the last two were in 1998 and 2009.
Ruben Tchounyabé
Four years ago, investors’ attraction to the African insurtech segment was low. In 2021, that interest rose significantly with actors keeping a watchful eye on it.
Starting from July 1, 2022, actors in the Moroccan insurance market can offer products and sign insurance contracts with buyers exclusively online. Last June 8, the Supervisory Authority of Insurance and Social Welfare (ACAPS) signed a decision outlining the regulatory requirements of the digital platforms to be set up by insurance actors to allow the online purchase of insurance contracts.
ACAPS issued the decision because the insurtech segment is steadily growing. It is getting more attractive because of its convenience, flexibility and the new offers developed. In Africa particularly, the number of start-ups investing in the segment is rising rapidly. In its report "2021 Africa Tech Venture Capital," Partech reveals that the Insurtech segment attracted US$36 million in funding in 2021. This is significant growth for a sector that was still in its infancy two years earlier.
On February 9, 2022, in Nigeria, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) partnered with FSD Africa to launch BimaLab, an accelerator program. BimaLab aims to drive digital innovation and ICT adoption in the insurance industry. The accelerator program will help drive digital innovation and expand the adoption of information and communication technologies in the insurance industry.
Muriel Edjo
The coronavirus pandemic stalled and even reversed economic growth in several African countries. The most affected were mostly those with the lowest e-governance readiness level. That weakness must be corrected given the political, climatic, and economic risks proliferating.
Burkina Faso should develop digital services to improve its resilience to crises, the World Bank advises. In its report titled “Resilience in Uncertain Times: Promoting Digital Services,” the institution argues that investing in dematerialized services, digital technology solutions, and the internet will be beneficial to the country.
In the public sector, the development of digital services (with the implementation of e-government projects) will help preserve service continuity and ensure efficiency, in the tax segment particularly. In its latest report on its e-government development index (EGDI), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) reveals that Burkina Faso's readiness level is still below the West African and Sub-Saharan African average.
In its 2021 national accounts, Burkina Faso's National Institute of Statistics and Demography reveals that the 6.9 percent GDP growth recorded by the country that year (after 1.9 percent in 2020) was all thanks to the public administration component (+8.3 percent), which resumed an uptrend stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the World Bank, Burkina Faso’s private sector can boost productivity and inclusion, therefore creating new growth opportunities. In the agricultural sector -which plays a key role in food security- the introduction of digital services (weather, farming practices, crops, markets, etc. services) is likely to improve farmers' performance. It can do the same in the trade and finance sectors.
To effectively make the digital sector a tool for economic and social development, the Burkinabe government must improve internet access. In January 2022, its internet penetration rate was 27.3 percent, representing just 5.95 million residents covered out of 21.80 million overall population.
Muriel Edjo
Côte d’Ivoire’s 2016-2020 development plan helped the country achieve 5.9% yearly growth on average. With the new plan, the country wants to do better by capitalizing on the digital sector.
Côte d’Ivoire will build a national data center and develop a 7000-kilometer of fiber-optic network by 2025, Communications Minister Amadou Coulibaly announces. The investments, which will complement others planned in the framework of the national digital development strategy, will help develop the national economy.
They were presented on Wednesday, June 15, during a meeting held in Abidjan to present the 2021-2025 National Development Plan’s financing mechanism. At the meeting, Amadou Coulibaly explained that the data center and the fiber optic projects were key priorities for his ministry because of their importance for digital transformation, which Côte d’Ivoire wants to accelerate.
The data center will allow the centralization of public services (being dematerialized) in a secure location, rendering them more efficient. The fiber optic network will enable the government to offer access to affordable high-speed internet -an essential tool for access to dematerialized services and economic opportunities- for every household.
Côte d'Ivoire approved its 2021-2025 national development strategy during the ministerial council held on December 22, 2021. It focuses on seven key points including the development of infrastructure, services, and financial services, building skills, improving the business environment and the digital economy, enhancing innovation, cybersecurity, and digital trust.
According to the World Bank, the digital economy will fetch Côte d'Ivoire more than US$5.5 billion by 2025, and more than US$20 billion by 2050, if the government and the private sector strengthen investments in the five fundamental pillars of the digital economy: infrastructure, platforms, financial services, entrepreneurship, and skills.
Muriel Edjo
Ecommerce is booming in several African countries. So, most governments have introduced reforms and incentives to encourage the activity. To benefit from those incentives, some buyers indulge in fraudulent acts. Therefore, Morocco is introducing the tax to protect the local industry and secure more revenues.
Morocco will tax every good purchased online and shipped from abroad starting from July 1, 2022. The decision is decreed in ordinance n° 2-22-438 issued during the ministerial council carried out last Thursday, June 16. According to the decision, all the goods purchased via electronic platforms are now subjected to import duties no matter their value. Goods delivered before the law’s effective date will not be affected, the ordinance stresses.
The new ordinance amends article 190-E of decree n°2-77-862, which exempts some goods and parcels from import duty. Goods and parcels worth less than MAD2,000 (US198.65$) imported by individuals with ordinary residence in Morrocco and those worth less than MAD1,250 (about US$125) (except for alcoholic drinks and tobacco) sent to natural or legal persons domiciled in the country were included.
Article 190-E is amended because Morocco noticed that with the boom of e-commerce activity in the country, some users have developed fraudulent practices to benefit from the exemption. For instance, large goods exceeding the exemption limits are fractioned and sent to multiple persons even though they are destined for one individual or legal person.
Speaking during a press conference after the June 16 ministerial council, government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas explained that the new decisions are aimed at combating fraudulent practices. "The project aims to strengthen customs control procedures for parcels bought online and delivered from abroad,” he said.
For the spokesperson, those acts harm the Moroccan economy-local businesses particularly- and deprive the government of important resources. In 2021, he estimates, more than MAD1 billion worth of goods bypassed taxation using fraudulent schemes to benefit from the exemption provided by article 190-E. For the government official, that figure could rise to MAD2 billion this year.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Apart from internet connection, the availability of qualified human resources is the key challenge delaying digital transformation in Africa. So, Kenya is moving to prepare students for the connected world.
Last week, Kenya officially launched the first coding curricula to be taught in primary and secondary schools. The curricula were developed in partnership with Kodris Africa, an online publishing company that teaches learners how to code. The curricula include hands-on lessons that will help young people develop their problem-solving skills.
“Adding coding to the school curriculum will enhance students’ technological skills and put them on the scope in the ever-growing world of technology,” explains Kodris Africa CEO Mugumo Munene.
According to ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, “the world is changing and everyone is going digital and Kenya will not be left behind as the globe goes digital.” For George Kinoti, Director of Criminal Investigations, it is important to give children IT skills because nowadays, everyone uses information technology, even criminals. “Equipping our children with IT skills in schools is very important because in today’s world even the police must be well trained in computer technologies to fight criminals who are now tech-savvy. Technology helps us bust crime in real-time and stay ahead of the criminals,” he said.
The curricula were approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) on April 19, 2022. The development of those curricula is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta's Digital Literacy Program (launched in 2016) and the National Digital Master Plan (2022-2032), which provides for an improvement in the country’s digital skills. At the time, CEO Mugumo Munene had already indicated that it would be highly valuable for students to learn to code. “When students learn to code, they can become producers in this 21st Century digital age rather than merely consume what is created by others," he said.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Before the creation of this center, the government’s digital transformation plans used to be implemented by many actors, sometimes rendering the actions inefficient. With the center, Madagascar intends to streamline actions for more efficiency in its digital transformation plan.
Madagascar recently created a special unit for the implementation of national digital transformation policies. The unit was baptized Digital Governance Center (UGD- Unité de Gestion Digitale). On June 8, 2022, the decree creating it was approved during the Ministerial council held the same day. That decree categorized the UGD as a public industrial and commercial entity with the Presidency and the Ministry of Digital Transformation as overseeing authorities.
According to Andry Rasoanaivo (photo, left), secretary-general of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, UGD will be the government’s operational arm in the digital sector. It will implement the various digital projects (public sector digitization notably) being developed. It will particularly implement the Digital Governance and Identification Management System Project (PRODIGY) whose main goal is to have a unique digital identity for every Malagasy and create a digital civil registry accessible to every public administration by end 2022.
Overall, the digital governance center will streamline the government’s strategic and financial actions for digital transformation. It will also help efficiently manage human resources.
In 2021, Madagascar became more focused on the digitization of public administrations and companies in a bid to improve their contribution to post-pandemic recovery. The digital transformation projects are notably aimed at modernizing public administration, preventing corruption as well as boosting economic development and social/financial inclusion. The various efforts are backed by international partners.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In Kenya, poor farming habits, climate change, and poor access to information are notable factors challenging the development of the agriculture sector. The MoU is signed to develop a solution that will help partially address those challenges.
The DRSRS -Directorate of Resource Surveys & Remote Sensing- and Kenyan agritech AgrVision signed, Thursday (June 9), a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a smart crop monitoring platform. The platform will be powered by artificial intelligence and use satellite imagery.
According to DRSRS deputy-director Charles Situma the MoU was signed to develop “the right digital tools and usage of advanced data collection and analytics technologies that can help the agricultural sector and decision-makers in the country, have full visibility and data-driven decisions that enhance food security programs to achieve better sustainable results.”
For Oscar Mwai, AgrVision’s Chief Operations Officer, agriculture should be smart and sustainable. That is why the agritech is committed “to simplifying the remote sensing-based precision agriculture technology, making it universally accessible and practical, by using cutting-edge Ai/ML models and algorithms to analyze big Agri-data that is collected and provide highly-precise information about fields, crops, and forests,” he said.
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Kenyan economy, contributing about 30 percent of GDP. It is also the main source of livelihood for most Kenyans. However, the sector is undermined by challenges including rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, poor farming practices, the poor quality of inputs, and farmers’ inability to access crucial information.
Therefore, Charles Situma believes that "a full transformation in the agricultural sector is needed, in which data will play a major role for better, more timely and actionable knowledge is a precursor.”
Ruben Tchounyabe
The platform aims to enhance the general public’s preparation for timely decisions in case of health crises because it is the foundation for efficient crisis management.
The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) launched Tuesday (June 7), a digital public health emergency contact platform accessible by calling 8335. Developed by the Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the Mastercard Foundation, it provides critical health information, notably regarding Covid-19, yellow fever, cholera, Guinea worm, and monkeypox outbreaks.
“In addition to providing health information, this digital technology responds to frequently asked questions through Interactive Voice Response (IVR). This significantly reduces the time health professionals at the contact center would take to respond to inquiries. The fact that the system receives and delivers messages quickly enables the provision of information to be delivered more efficiently and simply,” explains State Minister for Information Technology Huria Ali.
According to a release from the Mastercard Foundation, the “system greatly enhances the country’s current health system.” “The platform provides and receives public health information from the COVID-19 portal and District Health Information System 2 (DHIS-2), as well as other relevant data systems,” it adds explaining that the involved parties are committed to improving the platform for timely and reliable services.
“With this new digital service, the public will be able to make more informed decisions about their health. In addition, lessons learned from this digital platform will further contribute to our digital work across various portfolios. By leveraging the power of technology, we will achieve increased efficiency and connectedness across Ethiopia,” indicates Samuel Yalew Adela, Mastercard Foundation’s country head.
Ruben Tchounyabe
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The agency is created to improve the coherence of digital transformation projects ongoing in the country. The decision will help optimize resource utilization, they hope.
The Republic of Benin officially created, Wednesday (June 1), its national information technology development agency. The new agency, called ASIN -Agence des systèmes d’information et du numérique- is the result of the merger of four dedicated agencies. Those agencies are namely the digital development agency ADN, the information systems agency ASSI, the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI, and the Universal Service of Electronic Communications and Post (ABSU-CEP).
According to the government, the agencies were merged to answer optimization needs, in preparation for the operationalization of Société béninoise d’infrastructures numériques -the national digital infrastructure management firm-for improved efficiency, and for more rationality and coherence in state actions.
ASIN will pursue the actions carried out by its predecessors since its creation in 2016. It will notably implement digital projects like broadband and ultra-wideband deployment, dematerialization, cybersecurity, network extension, and the development of internet adoption in rural areas.
Placed under the dual supervision of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitization and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, ASIN will be headed by André Loko (photo). Its board chairman is Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni.
Ruben Tchounyabe
With that offer, Kenya hopes to support bitcoin miners’ green transition. According to Ecofin Agency, several crypto mining firms have already contacted KenGen with power requests.
Parastatal power producer Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) invites bitcoin mines to settle operations in Kenya. According to Ecofin Agency, which revealed the information recently, the power producer thus intends to monetize its geothermal power surplus and promote green crypto mining.
“We’ll have them here because We have the space and the power is near, which helps with stability,” said Peketsa Mwangi, KenGen’s geothermal development director.
Mr. Mwangi also revealed that some bitcoin mining companies have already approached the Kenyan company. "Their power requests vary, some of them had asked to start with 20MW to be later graduated... crypto mining is very energy-intensive," he added.
According to Kenyan news outlet The Standard, KenGen hopes to install bitcoin mining farms around its main geothermal power plant near Naivasha (123 km west of Nairobi). The country is Africa’s largest geothermal energy producer. Its production potential is about 14,000 MW but its installed capacity is 863 MW. Meanwhile, crypto mining firms are under pressure due to their high carbon emissions as they require an outstanding volume of energy to run their mining computers and equipment. Last year, several mining companies were expelled from China. Some of them are still looking for countries with excess supplies of renewable energy.
With the E-customs project, authorities want to improve operational and financial efficiency, in line with the Nigerian government’s, which is to “improve services, lives, and revenues with digitalization.”
Nigeria recently launched a US$3.2 billion project that will quadruple monthly customs revenues. Dubbed the “E-customs” project, it consists of digitalizing the whole customs administration, including revenue collection. In that regard, stakeholders expect the project to help fetch US$176 billion in the next 20 years.
In the framework of the project, the Nigeria Customs Service signed, last May 30, a concession agreement with the Trade Modernization Project Limited, the project consortium formed by Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and Huawei Technologies Limited.
With the E-customs project, financed by the AFC and implemented by Huawei, Nigerian authorities want to leverage digital tools to improve customs’ operational and financial efficiency.
“... we’re going to become a fully digitized Service. [...] The success of this project will be on the global map. We are going to hit the ground running. It’s a very beneficial project especially as it’ll garner $176 billion for the concession period. We are likely to surpass that,” said Mr. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“To the Nigeria Customs, this is going to change the entire business process. It is going to put the Customs on the best part in terms of doing business. It would remove all arbitrariness and human mistakes … ease the cost of doing business…. assist those of us who were given the task to manage with a simpler process of managing and monitoring,” he added.
For Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu, chairman of the Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the e-customs project has several economic benefits. “As the concession period begins, we wish to assure Nigerians that the revenue target of 176 billion dollars for the Federal Government will be achieved, if not surpassed. [...] More importantly, we are excited about the real economic benefits for the country, in terms of business growth for exporters and import-dependent businesses. [...] Others are improved global supply chains, enhanced industrial capacity utilization, and creation of employment opportunities,’’ he indicated.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Professional insertion has become a worrisome issue in several African countries. To address this challenge in the digital era, national and international experts are moving to elaborate the most-suited strategy.
In the next four years, several international partners will support Tunisia in the creation of ICT jobs for its youth and women. On Monday, May 30, in Gammath, the Ministry of Vocational Training launched a project in that regard.
Dubbed IPTIC, the project is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and implemented by the International Labour Organization’s country office in Algiers.
The project will focus on two axis in Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, Manouba, Kairouan, Zaghouan, Sidi Bouzid, Jendouba, Kasserine and Gabes. They are namely improving the capacities of government agencies dedicated to the implementation of the national employment strategy and the diagnostic study of ICT employment in each region. In Tunis, Sousse, and Sfax, the project will also develop ICT value chains.
The project is the result of an agreement signed, in December 2021, by Rania Bikhazi, Director of ILO’s country office in Algiers, and Kim Hanvit, KOICA's acting country director in Tunisia. It will capitalize on the achievements of EDJEF, a project carried out from 2018 to 2020, to promote the employability of women and the youth in Kairouan, Zaghouan, Tunis, and Manouba.
Muriel Edjo