In Cotonou, at the Regional Summit on Digital Transformation, ministers, regulators and technical partners debated the digital future of West and Central Africa. One message dominated both the corridor conversations and the plenary sessions: the continent cannot afford to wait any longer. With fast-growing populations, the need to create millions of jobs, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, the digital transition is already underway and will be essential for the competitiveness and technological sovereignty of African states.

This context has already shifted priorities inside the World Bank. The creation, in 2024, of a Vice-Presidency dedicated to Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence marks a major strategic shift. Michel Rogy, Practice Manager for Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence for Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, is one of the key figures driving this effort. An engineer with a Ph.D. in economics, he has spent years tracking Africa’s digital progress, sometimes spectacular and sometimes uneven.

In this interview with Ecofin Agency, he outlines the current priorities: closing the gap between coverage and actual digital use, preparing countries for responsible AI through pooled computing capacity and practical early applications, building genuinely interoperable identity and payment systems, and supporting startups that can deliver local solutions to regional challenges. His conclusion is clear: if reforms advance and investment follows, Africa could become one of the world’s leading laboratories for applied artificial intelligence and could create more jobs than it loses.

Ecofin Agency: The World Bank established a new Vice-Presidency dedicated to Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence in 2024. What does this mean in practical terms for African countries?

Michel Rogy: First, it raises the level of focus and technical rigor we bring to countries’ digital priorities and to what they want to achieve. Many governments now see digital technology and artificial intelligence as real drivers of development. We saw that again today: giving people and businesses reliable Internet access is essential for economic transformation. The Internet is a source of knowledge, productivity and opportunity. The purpose of the new structure is to support this transformation in a way that is more coherent, more integrated and more ambitious.

What was the overall goal of the summit organized here in Cotonou?

The summit focused on three main objectives. The first is to close the usage gap. In the region, mobile networks now cover most of the population, yet about 70 percent of people who are offline actually live in areas with mobile broadband coverage. This gap is driven by the cost of access and devices, limited digital skills and the lack of useful content such as mobile payment solutions. Addressing these three factors is essential to expand meaningful Internet use.

The second objective is to prepare African countries for the age of artificial intelligence. AI is already present here, and its global acceleration is undeniable. Missing this moment would be a lost opportunity for young people, businesses and public institutions. Preparing for AI means sharing expensive infrastructure such as data centers and computing capacity, scaling up training, and ensuring the secure cross-border flow of data.

The third objective is to boost job creation. Digital technology is a powerful driver of jobs in both the formal and informal sectors. There are startups and entrepreneurs across the region, as we saw in the example from Senegal during this morning’s panel. The key question now is how to scale up and create digital jobs at scale across the sub-region.

The Global DPI program is presented as a structural initiative to modernize states and accelerate digital integration. How is the World Bank deploying it on the ground, and what is the status of implementation in the region?

Global DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) is built on three core components that enable digital services to function efficiently and at scale: digital identity, digital payments and data interoperability.

Having a secure identity from birth opens the door to essential services such as mobile telephony, banking, university enrollment and social protection. In most countries in the sub-region, we are supporting the rollout of modern digital ID systems. In practice, teams travel with enrollment kits, often carried in portable cases, to collect biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans, along with basic personal information. Once registered, individuals receive a certificate, either on paper or on their phone, so they can authenticate themselves when using public services.

The second component is digital payments. In a region where a large share of the population is unbanked, mobile financial services offer a major opportunity. These services are now widely available, and adoption is strong, but there is still room to reach many more people. New services, including microcredit, are also emerging.

The third component is data interoperability. This is often the most complex area. For public institutions to operate efficiently, for example, for health insurance to coordinate with social security, data needs to move securely and seamlessly between systems. Strengthening this interoperability has become a major priority across the region.

What is the current status of the data interoperability effort in the region?

Across the three components of Global DPI, this is the area where progress has been the slowest. Interoperability becomes a priority once a critical mass of people has a digital ID and uses mobile financial services. At that point, the need for systems to work together becomes clear, whether in health, social protection or social security. All of these services depend on a unique digital identity and, increasingly, on digital transactions. Several countries are now reaching this point, which is why improving data exchange has become a central priority in our work.

Are the countries present at the summit advancing uniformly on this subject?

They all share the same vision: connecting everyone, taking advantage of the opportunities created by artificial intelligence and creating digital jobs. The difference lies in where each country is starting from. Some still have low Internet usage and need to focus on expanding access. Others are already well connected and have strong innovation ecosystems, so their priority is accelerating the adoption of AI. The goal is the same, but the priorities differ depending on each country’s stage of digital development.

The idea of a single digital market was also discussed. In your view, what should the priorities be for building it? Data, identity, payments, taxation, cybersecurity?

If we look at the digital transformation strategy adopted by the African Union in 2020, which sets the goal of a single continental digital market by 2030, the strategy defines this market in three layers.

The first layer is connectivity. Countries need to be connected to one another through fiber-optic links, and data needs to flow freely across borders. This requires aligned rules in the telecommunications sector to support cross-border data flows.

The second layer is data. If data moves across borders, it needs the same level of protection in every country. Personal data protection, cybersecurity and technical standards all need to be aligned so that citizens and businesses can trust digital systems regardless of where their data travels.

The third layer is online transactions. This is the digital marketplace where people pay, buy and access services. We already see an example of this in UEMOA, where financial systems are interoperable. The broader goal is to establish harmonized regulations and systems that allow e-commerce to function smoothly across the continent.

But in a context where geopolitical tensions are resurfacing, how can this trust be built? Isn’t the regional pooling of data centers risky?

From a regulatory perspective, the role of regional economic communities such as ECOWAS, CEMAC and UEMOA is essential. They can harmonize rules and provide a stable, predictable framework for all member states.

On the infrastructure side, one point is clear: it is neither realistic nor necessary to build AI-ready data centers in every country. The energy requirements and costs are simply too high. Pooling resources is therefore the practical option. Several ministers made this point clearly during the summit, and it reinforces the same direction of travel: planning regional infrastructure that is ready for artificial intelligence. This model can coexist with national rules that keep certain categories of sensitive data within a country’s borders.

What if a country shuts down its connection, experiences a political crisis, or decides to cut off the Internet? How can resilience be guaranteed in an integrated market?

There are two different cases to consider. The first involves technical disruptions, such as breaks in submarine cables. The region is very familiar with this challenge, and several countries have recently been affected. The way to address it is by building digital resilience and creating multiple alternative routes. If each country were connected to all of its neighbors and had access to at least three submarine cable landings, vulnerability would be greatly reduced.

The second case involves shutdowns ordered for political reasons. Here, the issue is one of state sovereignty. It is not a technical failure but a political decision. This is why countries need to agree on common rules for cross-border data flows. The European Union offers an example, with a shared legal framework for these questions. Today’s discussions showed a clear willingness to develop a similar framework for West and Central Africa.

There is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence, but the region still faces structural challenges: a lack of talent and persistent energy deficits, both essential elements. What is the World Bank’s approach? Should investment in skills and energy come first, before moving into AI, or can countries advance on both fronts at the same time?

In reality, we need to move forward on two fronts simultaneously. The first is building and financing essential infrastructure: data centers, computing capacity, reliable energy, skills development and support for AI ecosystems. This work needs to start now. Countries must anticipate the surge in demand for data and computing power that AI will generate, and the World Bank is already supporting them in this effort.

The second front, which is equally important, is accelerating the use of applied AI, which we refer to as practical AI. This can begin immediately, without waiting for every piece of infrastructure to be completed. We are already seeing practical AI solutions emerging on the continent in areas such as vocational training, education and agriculture, often driven by local startups. The task now is to create the right conditions to nurture these innovations, support entrepreneurs and show that AI solutions tailored to local needs can start transforming economies today.

Is the World Bank planning a financing program to support the digitalization and development of AI in the countries across the West and Central African regions?

In fact, we have already begun. The project recently approved by our Board of Executive Directors for Côte d’Ivoire (RAPID-CIV) includes a major component aimed at developing the country’s AI ecosystem. This shows that we are already working directly with governments on this agenda. Our goal now is to expand this effort. If countries request it, we want to scale up this type of support across the sub-region. The needs are clear, as today’s discussions made evident, and we strongly believe that Africa cannot afford to miss the AI revolution.

Does the Wuri project, which concerns several West African countries, fall under the same pipeline, or is it a new program?

Wuri was launched several years ago and focuses primarily on digital identity. It has delivered strong results in Togo, Benin, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

We are now working on a new generation of projects: the Digital Acceleration projects. These go beyond identity. They include the infrastructure needed to connect more people, digital public infrastructure such as identity, skills development and the foundations needed to support innovation. These new projects are already designed with a regional financing approach, because some investments only make sense at a regional scale.

Will you be funding only regional projects, or purely national projects as well?

Both. To take Côte d’Ivoire as an example again, we are financing key elements of its digital ecosystem: skills development, the regulatory framework for AI and support for startups and innovators. But if several countries choose to jointly plan a regional AI-ready data center and request financial support, we would give that very serious consideration. This type of project is, by nature, regional.

AI is already eliminating jobs in certain parts of the world. How can this be prevented from creating a shock for Africa, where the youth population is growing rapidly?

This is an important point, and it was raised in the keynote by Moustapha Cissé, the Director of Google’s first AI research lab in Africa. His conclusion was very clear: given the structure of African economies, especially the dominance of the informal sector, AI is more of an opportunity than a threat for jobs. AI can improve productivity, create value, support growth and, ultimately, generate more jobs than it displaces. The challenge is not to slow down AI, but to prepare talent, establish clear rules for its use to build trust, and support the growth of local innovation.

Looking toward 2030, if the reforms progress as intended, what should Africa’s digital landscape look like? And what are the risks if the reforms fall short?

We are not working on the assumption that the reforms will fail. The momentum is simply too strong, driven by demand and by the private sector, for progress to stall. But there are several key indicators that will tell us in 2030 whether Africa’s digital transformation has truly taken hold.

First, the usage gap must be significantly reduced. Today, about 70% of people who are offline live in areas already covered by mobile broadband. By 2030, that figure needs to be much lower, thanks to lower costs, stronger digital skills and a wider range of useful services, from mobile payments to digital identity.

Second, applied AI needs to have taken off. Countries must be prepared, with the right governance, investment and skills. AI applications in education, health and agriculture should be widespread and operating at scale.

Finally, digital ecosystems and data exchanges need to be strong enough to create jobs and increase the digital sector’s contribution to the economy. Countries’ ability to accelerate cross-border data flows will be a major driver of growth.

Interview, in French, by Fiacre E. Kakpo,

English adaptation: Mouka Mezonlin