We carried out a tour that began with a visit to the Community Digital Point (PNC)
THE STUDENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE This was the theme around which my colleague from Higher Education and Scientific Research and I engaged with the young people of Abomey last weekend. We carried out a tour that began with a visit to the Community Digital Point (PNC), a connectivity point for the town of Abomey. As the fibre optic network has since been densified in Benin, my teams and I want to cover a number of municipalities with a point of presence to connect our localities and provide more advanced services. Beyond this Community Digital Point, we have set up a room equipped with computers, digital content and internet access at 30 megabits per second, so that the town’s students, traders, craftspeople and entrepreneurs have access to the same online resources as anyone anywhere in the world. Also available are free Wi-Fi connectivity at 4 megabits per second and a mini solar power plant.This visit is only a beginning, as work is continuing throughout the country. Of the forty (40) municipalities announced to benefit from this type of community point, thirty (30) are available and ten (10) are being handed over. You will recall that Benin has committed to promoting the widespread use of digital technology to create value in all sectors, including education, in line with the strategic vision and the Government Action Programme (PAG). Under the leadership of President Patrice Talon, Benin has made heavy investments in the sector, and their use will no doubt reveal our country’s potential. It is our duty to support the achievement of this digital transformation. That is why we were received by the headmistress of the École d’Amitié in Abomey, an elite school where we will upgrade the existing digital classroom so that it can fully play its role as a training centre for tomorrow’s elites. Then, in our direct discussions with the students of the National University of Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (UNSTIM) in Abomey whom we met, we highlighted the advantages of the Community Digital Point and the benefits of digital technology. It was an opportunity for Mr Emile Kougbadji, Director General of ABSU-CEP, to respond to their concerns about the availability of the connection. Finally, we did not fail to invite them to make greater use of the opportunities offered by the many achievements of the digital economy sector in our country, as the delivery of these projects requires the involvement of all the key stakeholders of the ecosystem. Together with my colleague from Higher Education and Scientific Research, we called on them to commit to investing themselves in digital technology for the digital transformation of their community. Using digital technology to make an impact, transform and meet major challenges is increasingly a reality around the world and is a priority at the highest levels of decision-making. We want to improve our international scores and reduce the digital divide.