On June 21, Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, Karim Sy, President of Digital Africa, and Rémy Rioux, CEO of AFD, met in Kigali to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed at promoting entrepreneurial ecosystems in Africa and supporting the digital transition.
Smart Africa, an initiative dedicated to the digitization of the continent, connects and interconnects African governments to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent by introducing Africa to an inclusive economy based on digital technology and ICTs. The project now brings together 24 African countries.
On the one hand, the protocol established by Smart Africa and AFD aims to support a continental digital transition and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Four levers for development will therefore be put in place:
- The emergence of African "Smart Cities," making ICT a vector of inclusion, sustainability, and dynamism for today's cities
- Support for fertile and connected digital entrepreneurship ecosystems.
- Expanding access to broadband connectivity through the development of international interconnections between countries and the creation of digital bridges between neighboring countries.
- Establishing a climate of trust in the digital space, in particular through the protection of personal data and cybersecurity.
A second protocol will also enable collaboration between Smart Africa and Digital Africa to implement joint actions on five key themes of the digital economy in Africa:
- Mapping, evaluating, and developing digital, smart, and promising business ecosystems across the African continent.
- Communicating and advocating for improved regulatory frameworks, policies, and enabling networks on the African continent
- Pooling resources to build a database of shared resources for African entrepreneurs
- Support capacity-building programs for African entrepreneurs and startup development across the continent
- Improve access to financing for African startups, particularly in the launch phase