Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Tuesday presided over the launch of flagship projects under the Technological New Deal in Diamniadio, near Dakar — Senegal’s national digital transformation strategy embedded in the “Vision Senegal 2050” agenda.
Speaking before government officials, lawmakers, development partners, private sector stakeholders and civil society representatives, PM Sonko outlined the progress of ongoing digital initiatives and the outlook for key structural projects. He stressed that the reform goes beyond modernisation, aiming instead at a profound overhaul of public administration structures and practices.
“We did not speak about developing digital transformation — we spoke about transforming,” the prime minister said, underscoring the ambitious and systemic nature of the initiative.
The plan, structured around 12 priority programs and backed by an investment portfolio of nearly CFA 1,100 billion over the 2025–2034 period, is designed to ensure coherence, harmonisation and coordination across digital initiatives.
Sonko recalled that the first major step, taken in March 2025, was the establishment of the Digital Governance Committee, GouvNum, tasked with overseeing the strategic coordination of state-led digital projects and preventing fragmentation across ministries.
“Without clear answers on coordination and prioritisation, each ministry moves in its own direction, each administration builds its own silos, and the public treasury bears the cost,” he said.
The prime minister also highlighted the importance of system interoperability to streamline administrative procedures and improve citizens’ access to public services. He presented the “one-stop citizen portal” as a central tool enabling all Senegalese to access administrative services via mobile devices, without the need for travel or intermediaries.
In the same vein, the e-consula platform was showcased as a secure, multilingual solution designed to allow members of the diaspora to carry out consular procedures online.
On the infrastructure front, Sonko announced the deployment of national data centers, increased internet bandwidth and the expansion of the government intranet to ensure sovereign data hosting and high availability of critical services.
“Our most sensitive data will be hosted on national territory under conditions fully controlled by us,” he said, emphasising digital sovereignty as a key pillar of the transformation.
He also unveiled a universal connectivity project targeting underserved areas, with the goal of providing free internet access to more than one million Senegalese living in remote regions, placing digital inclusion at the heart of national priorities.
The Startup Act and its certification platform were presented as key drivers to foster digital entrepreneurship and position Senegal as a hub for emerging tech champions. Sonko assured Senegalese that supportive fiscal measures would be introduced to back innovative startups.
The prime minister expressed the government’s gratitude to international partners for their support in this strategic undertaking and commended the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs for its role in implementing the Technological New Deal.
In conclusion, Sonko stressed that beyond platforms and infrastructure, the reform is ultimately about improving citizens’ daily lives through digitalisation.
“It is for these citizens that we are carrying out these reforms,” he said, calling for collective mobilisation to ensure the success of the country’s digital transformation.
AC/lb/as/APA