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On October 6, 2022, the actors of the digital transformation in Africa and the heads of local authorities will meet in Morocco, at the Hyatt Regency in Casablanca, for the 2022 edition of the Digital African Tour (DAT). Organized by Cio mag and placed under the theme “African cities, how to reconcile sustainable development, modernization and innovation”, the DAT Morocco 2022 will be an opportunity to address issues related to the rational urbanization of African cities.
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The Covid-19 crisis has precipitated the almost forced switch to digital technology. This movement is now affecting local authorities, where digital technology is increasingly used to improve operations and governance, local economic development and job creation, especially for young people. Today, digital is at the heart of any community transformation process.
In Africa, the number of users of mobile services is growing twice as fast as the global average. 70% of the African population use mobile services compared to 93% in Europe. Due to the weak deployment of fixed internet network infrastructures, the use of cell phone networks has been privileged so that it tends to cover all territories.
African countries have been led to choose the development of high-speed mobile Internet as a strategic axis for the continent’s connectivity. It is not a question of opposing digital infrastructures to physical infrastructures, which are undoubtedly complimentary, but by betting on digital technology to anticipate the insufficiency or absence of infrastructures, local authorities are also betting on modernity and the optimization of resources. The integration of digital technology into governance processes has been irreversibly initiated for greater resilience.
Digital, a lever for territorial development.
It is in this context that the Digital African Tour will bring together digital actors, leaders, managers of local authorities, and operators of water and electricity companies to discuss, among other things, the solutions for sustainable development, modernization, and innovation of African cities. The DAT Morocco 2022 aims to lay the foundations of an African model of smart cities on the continent and its specificities. The aim is to protect and enhance the resources of the territories by combining local development and innovation in energy management, waste management, agriculture, health, education, and globally, local administration.
This 2022 edition of DAT Morocco will also focus on the role of digital and innovation in the service of African cities.
The experts, decision-makers, and actors expected in Casablanca will have to propose urgent measures to build innovative ecosystems that meet the specificity of each city on the continent.
The DAT Morocco 2022 will be an opportunity to better understand the “smart” strategies implemented by major African cities such as Benguerir, Berkane, Casablanca in Morocco, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Yamoussoukro, Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, Bizerte in Tunisia or Diamniadio in Senegal. The key to the success of these case studies will be the subject of sharing best practices in order to bring out the best uses.
Together, the actors expected in Morocco will reflect on financing mechanisms for the emergence of sustainable cities in Africa.
