By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
Senegal has completed a
national workshop to validate its National Blueprint on Data Valorization, with
the government seeking to turn data into a strategic resource for innovation,
improved public services and economic development.
The Ministry of
Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, through the Directorate of Information
and Communication Technologies (DTIC), organised the national validation
workshop.
The blueprint has been
developed since June 2026 with the support of Smart Africa, under the Data
Governance in Africa programme supported by the GIZ. Senegal is one of the
pilot countries participating in the initiative alongside Kenya and Lesotho.
The project aims to make
data a lever for creating economic, social, environmental and institutional
value.
The validation process
followed national consultations held on July 1 and 2, 2026, which brought
together ministerial departments to identify value-creating use cases involving
data and artificial intelligence.
The consultations, together
with an inventory and mapping of Senegal’s national data ecosystem, contributed
to the development of an initial roadmap for data valorization.
The September workshop was
intended to gather feedback from national stakeholders, refine the roadmap and
strengthen its implementation and monitoring and evaluation framework before
its finalisation.
The initiative forms part of
the broader Senegal 2050 Vision and the New Technological Deal, as well as the
National Data Strategy (NDS) and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy
(SNIA).
The government’s approach
includes fostering innovative services based on data and artificial
intelligence, strengthening the competitiveness of strategic sectors, improving
public services and supporting sustainable and inclusive growth.
The validation of the
blueprint involved sectoral ministries, public institutions, universities,
companies, technological players, civil society and technical and financial
partners.
The contributions gathered
during the two-day workshop will be used to further refine the roadmap before
its finalisation, with the Ministry seeking to make data valorization an
operational reality for citizens, public administration and the Senegalese economy.
The Ministry of
Telecommunications and Digital Affairs said the process reflects the importance
of translating Senegal’s data resources into concrete uses, innovation and
value.
“Data is a strategic
resource. Their development must now be translated into concrete uses,
innovation and value for Senegal.”
