By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Senegal’s Ministry of
Telecommunications and Digital Affairs and Groupe Sonatel have structured a
series of initiatives to support the implementation of the country’s New Deal
Technologique, with a focus on digital infrastructure, e-government, the digital
economy and solutions for citizens and businesses.
The collaboration followed a
week-long workshop bringing together teams from Sonatel, the Ministry and
several state institutions. The closing ceremony was presided over by Minister
of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, Samba Diouf.
The workshop was designed to
examine and organise Sonatel’s proposed contribution in line with the projects
and programmes outlined under the New Deal Technologique, Senegal’s national
digital transformation framework.
The initiatives discussed
cover digital infrastructure, the digitalisation of public administration,
development of the digital economy and the deployment of digital solutions
intended to serve citizens and businesses.
Diouf welcomed what he
described as a proactive contribution from the private sector, stressing that
Senegal’s digital transformation cannot be achieved by the state alone.
He called on other
participants in the digital ecosystem, including telecommunications operators,
banks and fintech companies, technology firms, startups and small and
medium-sized enterprises, to structure their own contributions to the New Deal
Technologique.
The discussions also highlighted
the need to balance rapid implementation with protection of the state’s
interests and digital sovereignty.
The minister stressed that
projects selected under the national digital agenda should be supported by
clear implementation timelines, regular monitoring and mechanisms for
identifying and addressing challenges quickly.
According to the Ministry,
the success of the New Deal Technologique will ultimately depend on the
implementation and measurable outcomes of its projects rather than the ambitions
outlined in policy documents.
