By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Guinea has called for
digital technology to become a driver of job creation for young people, as
African countries discussed the implementation of the Cotonou Declaration on
the sidelines of the Global AI and Digital Summit in Seoul.
Nfaly Sylla, Secretary
General at Guinea’s Ministry of Public Administration Modernization and Public
Service, represented the country at the dialogue, which was chaired by Ousmane
Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa.
The meeting brought together
several African ministers in charge of digital affairs, representatives of
delegations, the Managing Director of Smart Africa, and the World Bank’s
regional and global managers in charge of digital projects.
“I presented Guinea's
position, highlighting the vision of the President of the Republic, the
concrete achievements of the past year and the importance of making digital
technology a driver of job creation for our youth,” Sylla said.
Discussions focused on
translating commitments under the Cotonou Declaration into concrete actions in
connectivity, digital public services and artificial intelligence, with a
shared monitoring table to measure results.
Among the advances presented
by countries since the declaration, Sylla highlighted cooperation between Togo
and Nigeria on data infrastructure, describing it as an example to be
encouraged.
“The cooperation between
Togo and Nigeria on data infrastructure has particularly marked me: an example
to be encouraged, which illustrates what our countries can build together,” he
said.
Sylla said the discussions
reinforced his conviction that cooperation and the sharing of resources and
experiences would be essential to Africa’s digital development.
“A reinforced conviction: it
is also by sharing our means and our experiences that we will build Africa's
digital future,” he said.
