The Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, received in audience on Tuesday 29 June 2021 a delegation from the Parliamentary Network for ICT and Digital Affairs, led by its President, the Honourable Valère TCHOBO.
The Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, received in audience on Tuesday 29 June 2021 a delegation from the Parliamentary Network for ICT and Digital Affairs, led by its President, the Honourable Valère TCHOBO. The meeting, attended by the Deputy Secretary General and Government Spokesperson, Mr Wilfried Léandre HOUNGBEDJI, focused on presenting the network, its approaches and ambitions, and the inter-institutional convergence needed to enable MPs and the Beninese people to benefit from the digital revolution under way in the country.
According to its President, the Honourable Valère TCHOBO, electronic communications at the National Assembly, capacity building for MPs and the popularisation of Beninese legislation in the digital field are the network's main areas of interest. With its 25 member MPs, the Parliamentary Network for ICT and Digital Affairs aims to mobilise various stakeholders to provide lasting solutions to digital-related concerns in Benin. The Honourable Lucien HOUNGNIBO, for his part, called for concerted action between the various bodies of the digital sector and the network, particularly with regard to the continued popularisation of the Digital Code.
The existence and approach of this network drew the admiration of the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, who commended the MPs' initiative. “It must be acknowledged that the National Assembly takes a keen interest in the digital sector,” she said. Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU proposed to her guests that they jointly define a roadmap for concrete actions to meet their expectations in the digital field.
Taking part in the discussions, the Deputy Secretary General and Government Spokesperson, Wilfried Léandre HOUNGBEDJI, stressed the importance of a convergence of views among public stakeholders, in particular Parliament and the executive, for the development of digital technology in Benin. He also highlighted the progress made by Benin in recent years in the digitisation of the public administration. These advances are to the credit of both Parliament and the Government, he stressed.
Cybersecurity issues, in particular the process of ratifying international instruments such as the Budapest Convention and the Malabo Convention, both of which relate to cybersecurity, were also discussed. The Beninese Parliamentary Network for ICT and Digital Affairs and senior staff of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation intend to stay in contact for concerted action.