ITU Workshop: Bridging the Digital Divide


This workshop which took place on the 14 – 16 October in Brazzzaville was organized by the ITU with the collaboration of the Congo ICT Ministry focusing on the : ‘’Bridging the digital innovation divide”.
The GSMA contributed to the interactive discussions on digital innovation, its challenges, and the best approaches to build a digital innovation ecosystem.

Alain Betu, Policy Manager for Central Africa, also delivered content on the Ecosystem Accelerator Program designed to help start-ups to connect with mobile operators and also conducted engagement with member operators (MTN and Airtel) and other stakeholders who included the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPCE) and the Regulatory Agency of Fund Transfers (ARTF). It was an opportunity to discuss the impact of the tax on financial transactions recently introduced and to deliver key messaging.

The workshop hosted about 100 participants, including start-ups, policymakers, development organizations, representatives from the Ministry of ICT, Economy, and Health from some ECCAS countries, experts, innovators, and researchers.