The Senegalese Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital signed a memorandum of understanding with the American internet giant “Google” for the creation of a sovereign cloud, “a first” in West Africa, – it was announced from an official source in Dakar
“This infrastructure will allow Senegal to ensure the protection of sensitive data while meeting the growing needs of Senegalese and African administrations and businesses,” indicates a press release from the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital.
The memorandum of understanding was signed during the working visit that the Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, made on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (from September 21 to 28), to Silicon Valley, as part of the implementation of Senegal’s new digital strategy: “the New Technological Deal”, adds the same source.
”The visit is part of an approach to monitoring and seeking strategic, technical and financial partnerships in the process of accelerating the digital revolution in Senegal,” the press release specifies.
On this occasion, the President of the Republic and the Minister of Communication, accompanied by the local private sector, visited the headquarters of NVIDIA, world leader in artificial intelligence, where the Minister presented the projects for the creation of a supercomputer with a sub-regional vocation.
Thus, ”thanks to a series of meetings with world leaders such as Google, META, NVIDIA, and 500 Global, Senegal is laying the foundations for technological sovereignty and an efficient digital economy through universal connectivity and a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem,” continues the press release.
This new strategy aims to “strengthen skills, democratize access to the Internet and basic public services in order to initiate an inclusive, ambitious and resilient digital transformation”, according to the press release.
During the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of the Republic reaffirmed “the need to constitutionalize the right of every citizen to access the Internet”.
To this end, “a memorandum of understanding was signed with Google to support skills development programs in the Cloud, AI and Cyber security”, informs the ministry, adding that “at the same time, discussions with META and NVIDIA have focused on using open-source AI to accelerate the digitalization of public administration and expand the artificial intelligence talent pool.
According to the press release, this initiative aims to ”provide businesses with the resources necessary to innovate, grow and contribute to the country’s digital economy.”
Par The editorial staffEditorial Committee – Casablanca
