Universal service for the development of BeninUniversal service for the development of Benin

Announced by Ms Aurelie Adam Soule Zoumarou, Minister of Digital Economy and Communication, at the press conference held on 22 July 2019, the “Workshop on Internet Universality”, organised in partnership with UNESCO, was a resounding success over the course of a morning. Initiated and designed for both internet users and non-users, the meeting brought together nearly 200 stakeholders from the digital ecosystem, to whom the Minister addressed her first words of thanks: “I would like to pay a well-deserved tribute here to the people thanks to whom we have the privilege of using the internet, all the members of the digital ecosystem and the private sector who provide us with digital services.” It was an opportunity for the Minister, just back from Kigali where she had taken part in the latest GSMA conference, to welcome the indicators of the development of the digital sector on the continent and in Benin: “This year, mobile internet adoption in sub-Saharan Africa stands at 24%, compared with 47% worldwide.” She recalled that Benin is the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to have made a notable improvement, enhancing its performance thanks to progress in infrastructure and content. In terms of infrastructure, 3G population coverage rose from 53% to 63% from one year to the next. An improvement was also recorded for 4G. The ambition of the Head of State, Patrice Talon, is clear: to transform the lives of Beninese people and boost the country’s economy by improving access to digital services. As a result of these efforts by President Patrice Talon’s Government, the workshop, held as part of the launch of the study on Internet Universality indicators carried out by a network of UNESCO researchers and experts chaired by Mr Alain KIYINDOU, Professor of Information and Communication Sciences and UNESCO Chair, under the supervision of an Advisory Committee, was widely welcomed. Among other things, the study aims to analyse and provide reliable information on the state and development of the Internet, to highlight the innovations introduced by the Government and stakeholders of the Internet ecosystem, and to identify challenges and constraints in order to facilitate decision-making in the management of the digital economy sector. In his address, Professor Alain Kiyindou explained the choice of Benin, which “meets the criteria through the establishment of appropriate infrastructure”. Intended to support the sector, the study will lead to the production of a report. “When we were asked to make a choice, we opted for Benin because the country has put in place an ambitious policy in the digital sector under the leadership of Minister Aurelie Adam Soule Zoumarou,” he continued. More specifically, the workshop also gave participants a clear picture of the Government’s ambitions in the digital sector through a presentation by Mr Emile KOUGBADI, Director General of the Beninese Agency for Universal Service in Electronic Communications and Postal Services (ABSU-CEP), which operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Communication. The presentation was based on Pillar 2 of the Government Action Programme, the structural transformation of the economy; Area 4: improving economic growth; Action 1: using ICT as a catalyst for economic momentum and modernisation; and finally the agency’s achievements. Lastly, the youngest Minister in President Patrice Talon’s Government took the opportunity to call on local authorities to take part in the Government’s efforts in the digital sector: “I am taking advantage of the presence of the municipal authorities here to launch the ‘Bénin Commune Connect’ initiative, which aims to involve grassroots elected officials more closely in the development of the sector.”