Leveraging Africa’s potential to accelerate sustainable digital transformation and universal and meaningful connectivity

The ITU ​Regional Development Forum for Africa (RDF-AFR) was held from 3 to 5 October 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme “Digital transformation for a sustainable and equitable digital future:  Accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in Africa through digital transformation​".

​The event was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and hosted by the Government of Ethiopia. It outlined the priorities, challenges, and opportunities to advance digital transformation in Africa and was attended by around 300 participants from 41 countries.

An interactive High-level Ministerial/Executive session set the scene for the event, sharing a vision for digital transformation for a sustainable and equitable digital future in Africa with its people at the center. Participants exchanged experiences to build and create opportunities for further collaboration and implementation around common priorities, as expressed in the Regional Initiatives for Africa adopted at the World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2022. The urgency for action to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals was underscored, and participants highlighted how digital can be leveraged towards this goal.

The Partner2Connect (P2C) Matchmaking Roundtables allowed participants to review and report on the implementation of announced pledges and committed to match country and regional needs with concrete solutions. The roundtables discussed and identified effective mechanisms to coordinate and collaborate for better and optimal use of resources that will bring high impact and sustainable development in Africa and beyond. The Forum also celebrated the Partner2Connect 800th pledge, submitted by SAP - an important milestone that brought the total financial value of pledges received to USD 31.88 billion made by 392 entities from 132 countries. Additional information about P2C is available here.

“The Regional Development Forum for Africa provided a platform for stakeholders to meet face to face and discuss, exchange views and commit to collectively move the digital agenda with urgency to make universal and meaningful connectivity a reality, in a continent where 740 million people are still unconnected,” said Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “The Forum presented an opportunity for countries to present individual country priorities, and for the region to re-emphasize regional priorities, while partners expressed concrete commitments to operationalize their pledges for tangible outcomes that contribute to building a sustainable digital future.”

“Ethiopia is committed to digital transformation, and we have made significant progress in recent years,” said H.E. Huria Ali Mahdi, State Minister to National ICT and Digital Economy Sector speaking on behalf of H.E. Belete Molla, Minister of Innovation and Technology, adding that, “The ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa is an important platform for us to discuss challenges and develop solutions.”

“The Regional Development Forum brought together key stakeholders committed to connecting the unconnected and to the realization of the Regional Initiatives for Africa, approved at the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference held in June 2022,” said Anne-Rachel Inné, ITU Regional Director for Africa.

The full story and the official report of the Regional Development Forum for Africa is available here.