Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many African nations have accelerated their digital transformation efforts. Recognizing the challenges inherent in this process, China is committed to supporting these countries in achieving a unified and cohesive digital future.

On Monday, July 29, China and 26 African countries jointly approved an action plan to accelerate their digital cooperation in the coming years. The decision was made during the China-Africa Digital Cooperation Forum, held on July 29-30 in Beijing, under the theme "Jointly Drawing a Digital Blueprint and Sharing Development Achievements."

The action plan outlines six focus points: digital policy cooperation, digital infrastructure, digital innovation, digital transformation, digital security, and digital capacity building.

The event, organized as a precursor to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled for September, also provided an opportunity to discuss crucial issues concerning digitalization in Africa. China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, announced that companies would receive support for pragmatic cooperation in areas such as mobile communications, data centers, and both submarine and terrestrial cables. Joint efforts will also be made to advance the development and application of digital technologies such as 5G, 6G, network security, high-performance computing, and quantum communication.

For several years, Africa has been central to China's cooperation strategy known as the "New Silk Roads." Digital technology, a sector in which China excels, is often leveraged in this initiative. This strategy has improved connectivity between Africa and key regions in Europe, Asia, and the Americas through the deployment of several submarine cables totaling over 60,000 kilometers.

Despite this ongoing collaboration, most African countries lag in digital development, as indicated by the "Measuring Digital Development: The ICT Development Index 2023" report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), while China ranks among the leading countries. The action plan approved by China and the African countries aims to bridge this gap by offering opportunities to enhance digital infrastructure, improve skills, stimulate innovation, ensure digital security, and promote research and development as well as e-government. This initiative is expected to enable Africa to unleash its digital potential and accelerate its socio-economic development.

Samira Njoya