The Use of Digital for Public Service Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa
August 29, 2022
Building on presentations of the Digital Trust Chair’s main research outputs, these webinars discussed the challenges of digital technologies adoption and diffusion and the importance of digital trust for Africa’s emergence. Emphasis was placed on the potential of digital technology to facilitate access to information and reduce transaction costs, in order to develop production capacities and improve access to public services[1]. Several areas of impact were particularly considered, starting with human capital, in particular health, in ordinary times as in times of crisis. Webinar also addressed the role of digital technologies for improving financial inclusion, spurring entrepreneurship and youth employment.
These webinars should lead to recommendations on how to promote the transition to digital technologies scaling-up, and thereby, to trigger an endogenous development dynamic that will encourage emergence of Sub-Saharan Africa and its western part. The exchanges combined the contribution of recent academic knowledge on digital economics in the African context and the experience of both public and private practitioners.
[1] Broadly defined as the delivery of non-rival and non-excludable goods and services by the public or the private sector
French / English simultaneous translation
11h. Presentation of the Webinar series : Patrick Guillaumont, President of FERDI
11h05. Introductory session from Minister Niale Kaba, Ministry of Planning and Development of Côte d'Ivoire.
11h15. Presentation of the Chair’s report #1 by Joël Cariolle, FERDI Research Officer
Moderator: Pr. Jenny Aker, Tuft University (Senior fellow à la Ferdi),
Panellists :
12h05. Question and answer session.
Issues addressed
Which policies and regulations to reduce the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa? what role for Regional Economic Communities and the African Union?
How can digitization foster efficiency and effectiveness in public service provision in SSA?
Is mHealth an effective and viable solution to provide healthcare to Africans in times of COVID?
Digital innovations in the Health sector: prospects from big data, deep-learning and blockchain technologies deployment in Africa
Elearning technologies: complement or substitute to in-class teaching?
