Benin hosted the first Regional Summit on Digital Transformation in West and Central Africa, gathering officials from about 20 countries to discuss issues of inclusion, connectivity, and artificial intelligence. The summit, an initiative of the Beninese government and the World Bank, aimed to define a common vision and harmonize national approaches to digitalization across the region. On the sidelines of the event, Aurelie Adam Soulé Zoumarou, Benin's Minister of Digital and Digitalization, was interviewed by Ecofin Agency. She discussed the summit's priorities, the regional digital market, the “usage gap”, and Africa’s prospects regarding artificial intelligence.

Ecofin Agency: With Benin hosting a regional summit on digital transformation, what actions are being championed by the country to advance digital transformation in West Africa? 

Aurelie Adam Soulé Zoumarou: First, it is important to understand the context of this summit. West and Central African countries have begun, and in some cases significantly advanced, their digital transformation. That is real progress. However, we are moving at different speeds. The challenge now is to stop working independently of one another. It is time for West Africa to move beyond siloed approaches.

We need to define a common strategy: assess our progress against African Union objectives, agree on a shared roadmap, and identify the tools that can allow countries that are ahead in specific areas to support the others. The aim is also to build stronger regional cooperation, because this is no longer only about speeding up national reforms. We need to better serve our populations through more integrated approaches. This is the vision Benin is putting forward at this summit. It is not a common exercise, but it has become essential.

The idea of a “single digital market” came up repeatedly in the opening speeches. How realistic is this goal for West and Central Africa right now?

We are still a long way from that. We can only build a common market if we share the same objectives. If you look at the data available from the OECD or the GSMA, the gaps are considerable. A country like Benin has a coverage rate of about 75 percent, while others remain at 26 percent. How can a single market be possible under these conditions?

The priority is to put in place a regional approach that can help narrow these gaps. Only then will it be possible to build the single market we are calling for.

Several speakers mentioned a paradox: coverage is high, but usage is low. Is Benin dealing with the same “usage gap,” and why?

Yes, Benin is experiencing the same usage gap. It is important to understand what this term really means. We have invested, and so have the operators, yet part of the population and many businesses are not using the connectivity that is available. It is as if part of the investment is not paying off. We therefore had to address this problem.

In Benin, we identified it early in our digital strategy. We focused on the four factors that limit adoption.

Once one problem is solved, another emerges. When connectivity is missing, that becomes the priority. Once connectivity is secured, cost becomes the issue. When cost is lowered, you must deal with usage and content.

First is connectivity, and that issue is largely resolved today. Then comes affordability, because some services are still too expensive for certain households. The third factor is content. You may have affordable access, but if you do not find anything relevant to you, you will not use it. Finally, there is the question of skills, since many people remain hesitant because they lack the necessary digital abilities.

Once connectivity is ensured, these other three dimensions must be addressed at the same time. This clearly shows that cost is not always the main obstacle. When connectivity exists and prices are reasonable, a lack of relevant content can become the primary barrier. This is the challenge in this sector. Once one problem is solved, another emerges. When connectivity is missing, that becomes the priority. Once connectivity is secured, cost becomes the issue. When cost is lowered, you must deal with usage and content.

And that is precisely the role of public policy: to identify the next challenge at each stage and provide the appropriate response.

What is Benin doing in practical terms to address these three obstacles?

A good example is the Alafia microcredit service, which we modernized and made fully accessible by phone. Thanks to this service, we have seen women who had never used digital tools become regular users. They were not very concerned about the cost, even though we worked to reduce it. What convinced them was that the service brought them a direct economic benefit.

It comes down to cost and opportunity. If you only use your phone for entertainment, you ask yourself, “What do I get out of this?” But if the same phone gives you access to microcredit that improves your daily life, the value changes immediately.

So we helped these women develop the skills they need to use it, and we provided content that is useful to them. These two areas, skills and content, are where we will continue to focus our efforts.

Several studies, including those by the World Bank and the GSMA, highlight the high cost of devices and connectivity in Africa. Many internet users in Benin also say the internet is still expensive. How do you respond to those concerns?

The issue of internet costs has come up ever since I entered the sector nearly twenty years ago, and it will probably continue as long as the internet is not free. It is similar to ongoing debates about women’s roles in the digital sector, because the questions persist and reflect deeper human challenges.

We also need to consider the realities on the ground. In several countries in the region, the priority is not cost but connectivity: simply having access to the service with minimum quality, whatever the price. In Benin, that first obstacle has largely been overcome, which makes it reasonable to raise the issue of pricing.

We do not have factories that produce telecom equipment in Africa. Operators invest in infrastructure because they see an economic opportunity in addition to their contribution to development, and that affects pricing.

Once connectivity is available, it is natural for people to question the cost. That is where we intervene. Infrastructure sharing is a key tool. When several operators use the same sites or the same fiber instead of each building separate networks, costs go down and so do prices. This supports adoption. But our experience shows that even when cost is an issue, usage can still increase significantly if the services offered meet a real economic or social need.

What can African governments, and Benin in particular, do to lower the cost of digital access, including devices, data, and services? Can measures such as tax reductions or targeted subsidies for rural communities play a role?

Let me start with a concrete example of what governments can do, especially from a regional perspective. Take devices. If Benin tried on its own to manufacture phones to bring prices down, the impact would be limited. But if all of West and Central Africa, or even the whole continent, mobilized around a joint project to produce low-cost devices, the economies of scale would change the picture entirely.

A structural approach is needed, not only a fiscal one. Cutting taxes also does not allow us to scale up the initiatives we want to develop.

You mentioned tax cuts or subsidies for certain groups, especially in rural areas. These are options, but they do not solve the underlying issue. Tax reductions are temporary measures that depend on the political will of each government. They do not provide a lasting solution that covers the entire device value chain.

Today we are talking about mobile phones. Tomorrow it will be another type of device. This is why a structural approach is needed, not only a fiscal one. Cutting taxes also does not allow us to scale up the initiatives we want to develop.

What we are seeking through this kind of summit is the adoption of regional actions that can generate economies of scale and, ultimately, better serve our people.

With Africa facing a deficit in computing and data infrastructure, many doubt the continent’s capacity to develop sovereign AI capabilities. How can African states advance together, and what role does Benin see for itself in this regional effort?

We will not replicate the connectivity model when it comes to AI. This is no longer about building heavy infrastructure or digging trenches for cables. AI allows for a different approach, one that can be truly African.

Computing […] can be shared across the region. This is what makes this a particularly good moment for stronger cooperation.

The key factor is skills. A young Senegalese AI specialist can develop solutions for Benin from Dakar, or from anywhere in the world. AI solutions can be used anywhere, and talent is mobile. This is no longer the traditional infrastructure model where fiber or mobile sites must be deployed country by country.

Second, computing capacity does not need to be installed in every country. These systems can be shared across the region. This is what makes this a particularly good moment for stronger cooperation.

Cooperation between countries will allow, for example, a young Beninese developer to propose a solution in Sierra Leone, or vice versa. During this summit, we are hosting Moustapha Cissé, a Senegalese figure and recognized AI expert on the continent, who perfectly illustrates this momentum.

We are at a pivotal moment. Each country has made progress at the national level. It is time to use regional cooperation to go even further.

What is at stake for Benin in this summit?

We are co-organizing this summit with the World Bank so that regional cooperation becomes a tool to accelerate the progress each country has already started. Twenty-two countries from West and Central Africa are taking part. All have made progress in their digital transformation, but to varying degrees.

The aim is to build on regional complementarities. A country that is advanced in areas like interoperability or digital addressing, such as Benin, can help others move faster. A country with a strong digital entrepreneurship ecosystem, like Nigeria, can support the other twenty-one countries.

The African Union has set goals for 2030. This summit allows us to measure our progress, align our approaches, and determine how to implement these goals to better serve our people.

Interview in French by Fiacre E. Kakpo,

English adaptation: Mouka Mezonlin