Benin joins the Smart Africa Alliance

January 25th 2024

Africa, Benin, ICT News, network

Benin is now a member of the Smart Africa Alliance, an organization that promotes the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to accelerate economic and social development in Africa. The Beninese National Assembly ratified the agreement establishing the said organization during its plenary session on Tuesday, January 23.

The initiative is part of the efforts undertaken by the Beninese government to accelerate the country’s digital transformation and place itself at the heart of the ICT agenda in Africa. A budget of 24.3 billion CFA francs (40.3 million USD) has been planned for the projects of the Ministry of Digital and Digitalization for the 2024 financial year, compared to 31 billion FCFA in 2023.

By joining the Smart Africa Alliance, Benin will benefit in particular from strengthened regional collaboration. It will be able to cooperate with other African countries which share the same vision and the same objectives in terms of digital development. This cooperation will promote the exchange of experiences, good practices and knowledge… The organization also guarantees access to resources and funding to support its digital initiatives.

Benin’s membership in the Smart Africa Alliance should also help improve the quality and coverage of electronic communications services as well as reduce costs. According to the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Post (ARCEP), Benin had 15.46 million mobile telephone subscriptions in the second quarter of 2023. The country had 10.14 million subscribers to mobile telephone services. Mobile Internet and 24,641 fixed Internet subscribers, according to the latest statistics from the regulator (March 2023).

Source: Agency EcoFin Back