Minister of Social Affairs and Microfinance Dear Professor KIYINDOU Representatives of UNESCO Directors of the Agencies present here Ladies and gentlemen, officials of the various ministries represented here Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of private organisations and stakeholders in the digital economy sector Distinguished guests; Who among you has already used the internet since this morning, whether to check your emails, look up some information or for any other purpose? Who among you has done so at least once using your mobile phone? I have just returned from Kigali, where I took part in M360 Africa, and I would like to share with you a few striking figures: - Mobile internet adoption stands at 24% in SSA compared with 47% worldwide - the SSA region accounts for 40% of the world’s population not covered by a mobile broadband network. And when we know that in many SSA countries, such as Benin, internet access relies on mobile, we understand the need for bold action by countries to improve these rates in both the fixed and mobile internet sectors. Furthermore, ARCEP’s recent figures on our sector show that the mobile internet penetration rate rose from 40.16% in 2017 to 48.02% in 2018. Today, internet access and the digital uses associated with the internet have become drivers of economic growth, human development and social inclusion in our African countries and around the world. By adopting the concept of Internet Universality in 2015, the General Conference of UNESCO paved the way for meetings such as the one we are holding today. Ladies and gentlemen, (source: UNESCO website) “Internet Universality” as a concept captures what is important given the growing scale of the internet in human affairs. It highlights the behavioural norms and values that underpin this trend and brings out the need to strengthen them so that the internet contributes to the fulfilment of humanity’s highest aspirations, is ubiquitous and serves everyone, and reflects broad participation in its development and governance. Ladies and gentlemen, Today’s workshop marks the launch of the study on Internet Universality in Benin, whose objectives are to document at least one hundred (100) indicators and to collect information from some eighty (80) targets through a questionnaire or semi-structured interviews, in order to assess the factors driving the development of the internet and provide reliable information on its state and development. It will also allow information to circulate on the innovations introduced by the Government, economic stakeholders, civil society and other actors, and could thus serve as a model for neighbouring countries. This study will be carried out by a network of UNESCO researchers and experts chaired by Professor Alain KIYINDOU, University Professor and holder of the UNESCO Chair in Emerging Practices in Technology and Communication for Development, under the aegis of an advisory committee. By choosing Benin for this pilot study, UNESCO is supporting the efforts of the Government of the Republic and the Head of State to develop the digital economy, by helping to measure our indicators and therefore to improve them continuously. Ladies and gentlemen, “The internet is much more than infrastructure and applications.” That is true; but it is equally true that without infrastructure, well, there is no internet. On this front, the whole sector is committed; our private partners and we ourselves are making substantial investments, especially in disadvantaged areas. I therefore wanted this workshop also to be an opportunity to talk about the achievements and projects of the universal service agency, whose activities focus on those areas and on developing digital skills. I would also like to take this opportunity to tell you about a new initiative, Benin Commune Connect. This initiative aims to involve the leaders of our country’s municipalities more closely in the process of reducing the digital divide and to give them greater responsibility in it. Ladies and gentlemen, I will conclude my address by sharing with you Benin’s progress on the GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index:
All news- The overall Index score rose from 34 to 39. Benin was the second most improved country in sub-Saharan Africa after Sierra Leone, and the 10th most improved country in the world. The main drivers of this were infrastructure and content
- Infrastructure (score up from 37 to 44):
- 3G population coverage rose from 53% to 63% (these are GSMA estimates but are consistent with ITU data received from the regulator). This value may be updated once we have a coverage map;
- 4G population coverage rose from 24% to 40% (these figures were based on ITU data, as the operators had not provided any data).
- Content and services (score up from 21 to 30):
- Benin rose to 80th place out of 175 countries assessed worldwide, and now ranks 8th in Africa.)