At its meeting on Wednesday 18 January 2023, the Council of Ministers approved the National Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Strategy (SNIAM) 2023-2027.
Based on the Government's vision of making digital technology one of the foundations of economic and social progress, this strategy and its action plan were drawn up through a process involving stakeholders, following a holistic approach focused on technological solutions that meet our country's needs, particularly in the fields of education, health, agriculture, living environment and tourism, and on an understanding of use cases applicable to the Beninese context.
Driven by the vision of making Benin, by 2027, a country that also shines through the value it derives from its big data by means of artificial intelligence systems and technologies and the development of related skills, it consists of four (04) programmes that can be rolled out in three (03) phases over five (05) years, with a portfolio of one hundred and twenty-three (123) actions affecting the public and private sectors.
Its adoption positions Benin as a country able to seize current and future opportunities in Artificial Intelligence and big data processing, which would make it even more attractive for all types of investment, particularly from the private sector and development partners.
Download the SNIAM 2023-2027
Why is Benin adopting a national AI and big data strategy?
Through its action programme, the Government of Benin has made digital technology one of the foundations of economic and social progress. The major investments made in this sector since 2016 reflect a strong political will to develop the digital economy and to transform the country, sustainably, into a regional platform for digital services.
Some major projects in the digital sector (data centre, interoperability, e-Administration, e-Services, Open Data, etc.) will generate big data, whose management and exploitation must be addressed to ensure that its potential for value creation does not escape the Beninese economy.
Artificial intelligence therefore appears to be a tool for addressing this issue effectively in order to support Benin's standing in strategic sectors (education, health, agriculture, living environment, tourism).
However, to harness its potential and strengthen the initiatives already under way in the field of artificial intelligence, Benin needs, on the one hand, to know its strengths in this area and, on the other, to define its objectives with a view to taking the lead in the sub-region.
It was to this end that the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation initiated the drafting of the National Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Strategy and its action plan, drawn up in concert with stakeholders and submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval.
With an estimated budget of four billion six hundred and eighty million (4,680,000,000) CFA francs over a period of five (05) years, the implementation of this strategy provides an opportunity to harness AI in the target development areas in order to position the country as a major AI player in West Africa.
Institutional framework fostering the development of AI in Benin
Benin has an institutional framework made up of several players, including: the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation (MND), the Information Systems and Digital Agency (ASIN), the Personal Data Protection Authority (APDP) and the Sèmè City Development Agency (ADSC). In addition, a few private players, still on a very modest scale, mainly start-ups and civic associations, are already exploring avenues and organising training on application development and the uses of AI. Benin also has training institutes such as the Institute for Training and Research in Computer Science (IFRI) and the Institute of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (IMSP), which is equipped with a supercomputer, providing access to significant computing power to facilitate the development of AI both in Benin and throughout the sub-region.