Digital transformation is one of the key tasks for African states today. It applies to issues like governance effectiveness, access to public services, education, healthcare, security and data management, according to Évariste Ngamana, Minister of State for Communication and Media and Government Spokesperson, Central African Republic, who spoke ahead of the 2nd Global Digital Forum.
In this context, we believe that cooperation between Africa and Russia in the digital sphere has great prospects. Russia can offer significant experience and skills in several tech sectors – specifically, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital services, and professional training.
We believe this cooperation must be based on the transfer of knowledge and technology first and foremost. The goal is not only to acquire tech solutions but to give African countries opportunities to build their own potential and train their own professionals capable of developing, managing and securing their own digital systems.
Digital sovereignty is another important problem. For a state, the ability to control its own data, protect the critical infrastructure, and shape a national potential in the digital sphere are all integral parts of its sovereignty.
In this regard, we advocate for such cooperation that will allow our countries to strengthen their potential while understanding the actual state of affairs and national priorities. Like many other countries in Africa, the Central African Republic needs partners who can assist it in this transformation, especially when it comes to professional training, cybersecurity, the digitalization of public services, and infrastructure development.
Aside from equipment and solutions, the task at hand is to obtain necessary skills and develop an African digital ecosystem that will uphold our own development.
It is in this spirit that we approach cooperation with all partners, including Russia: it is a cooperation built on mutual respect, experience exchange, and search for solutions that serve the needs of our states.
