Delegation of the Program at GITEX Africa 2024

31 May 2024

A delegation representing the E-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program attended the Pan-African tech show GITEX Africa 2024 in Marrakech where it held fruitful discussions with African partners. The parties explored opportunities for collaboration in digitalization and participation in the E-Gov Knowledge Sharing Program.

The delegation comprising Program Coordinator Andrey Maslov and research fellow Philipp Grinin met with representatives of the Republic of Mali, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the Union of the Comoros.

On 29 May 2024, the delegation held a meeting with Kamaté Nouhoum, Deputy Director General of the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (Agence des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication, AGETIC) under the Ministry of Communication, Digital Economy and Modernization of Administration of the Republic of Mali. The parties discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of digitalization. K. Nouhoum expressed particular interest in Russian solutions in the field of cybersecurity, public e-services and ICT infrastructure. Regarding the E-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program, the Malian delegation expressed interest in joining the Program and contributing their expertise to the E-Governance Knowledge Hub.

Also on 29 May, a meeting was held with Dr Moctar Seck, Head of the Innovation and Technology Sector of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. He noted that the Program serves an important pillar of the digital development of African countries. He further stressed that Russian solutions can help Africa gain sovereignty in this area. Dr Seck also extended an invitation to participate in the Digital Government Africa 2024 Summit in Lusaka (Zambia).

After the official closing of GITEX Africa 2024, the Program delegation met with the Minister of Post, Telecommunications and Digital Economy of the Union of the Comoros, Mr Kamalidini Souef. The Minister noted the Program’s potential for driving digital development in Africa and outlined directions for further cooperation.

In addition, the delegation held meetings with major Russian companies interested in supplying their solutions to the African market. The Program and the HSE Center for African Studies will work to provide support to these companies in building effective cooperation with African partners.