OBJECTIVES
The Regional Summit on Digital Transformation in Western and Central Africa aims to serve as a key moment to take stock of progress towards the African Union’s 2030 digital transformation goals, and to agree on a common Declaration to accelerate reforms and investments in the digital sector that should eventually lead to job creation in the sub-region. It also aims to identify a set of commitments and concrete measures to incentivize private sector investment in the digital sector, and to provide a platform to share good practices and harmonize policies and regulations, aiming at creating regional digital markets.
Most specifically, the discussions will focus, among others, on:
- Closing the Digital Divide and Bringing more people online in West and Central Africa;
- Developing the necessary AI capabilities in West and Central Africa; and
- Creating More Digital Jobs in West and Central Africa through Accelerated Digitalization and Digital Single Market.
BACKGROUND
Digitalization is rapidly reshaping economies and societies, offering a transformative opportunity to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With only 15% of the 2030 SDG targets achieved to date, digital technologies are emerging as powerful enablers—positively impacting 70% of the goals. Countries with higher levels of digitalization have made 40% more progress toward the SDGs than their peers, underscoring the urgency of investing in digital infrastructure, services, and skills. The digital economy’s network effects not only enhance productivity and public service delivery but also generate vast amounts of data that can be harnessed for innovation and inclusive growth.
In the face of compounding global crises, digitalization has proven essential for job creation, resilience, and sustainability. It boosts employment, reduces poverty, and strengthens the competitiveness of firms and SMEs. Yet, whilst coverage gaps remain particularly in rural areas and fragile contexts, a critical challenge to tackle is the usage gap: in Western and Central Africa, internet use is only about 40% of the population with about 70% of the individuals that do not use internet living in areas covered by current infrastructure.
Governments have a critical role to play in creating an enabling environment for inclusive and trusted digital transformation, while the private sector brings capital, innovation, and the capacity to scale sustainable digital ecosystems. Bridging the digital divide will require coordinated efforts to boost the number of people, enterprises and government entities online, expand broadband access, promote cross-border digital markets, and invest in AI capabilities and skills development.
The Digital Summit will serve as a platform to assess progress, share best practices, and mobilize public and private sector commitments to accelerate digital transformation and foster AI readiness across Western and Central Africa. It will bring together high-level stakeholders to explore how digitalization can drive economic transformation and create the jobs of the future.
