La secrétaire générale de la Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo et le président de la West African Development Bank (BOAD) , Serge Ekue, signed a cooperation framework agreement on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. This was in order to support digital transformation in the eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA ).

Accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, digital transformation is affecting all economic sectors, leading to the development of new digital jobs. Thus, in order to multiply the workforce in the sector, institutions and governments are coming into agreement. Digital transformation is envisaged in eight UEMOA countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Thus, the signed agreement will allow BOAD to design a financial vehicle, to mobilize several tens of millions of euros that the countries concerned can use to enable the population, especially young people and women, to follow training courses at digital.

According to the Secretary-General of La Francophonie, “at the 18th Francophonie Summit in Djerba, heads of state and government deliberated at length on digital transformation. They concluded that the appropriation of digital technology by young Francophones — and especially young girls — was a vital issue for the future of the Francophonie and Africa. With more than 70% of their national population under the age of thirty, West African countries must put digital training at the top of their agenda. With this agreement, the OIF and la BOAD will support them.”