For many African countries, digitizing administration is the key to unlocking good governance, efficiency, and a more prosperous future.

Guinea’s progress in digitizing its public administration has been sluggish, a situation lamented by Prime Minister Bah Oury during a workshop on Saturday, April 20. The workshop, attended by several government officials, focused on streamlining the digitization of public services and enhancing communication between the administration’s digital platforms.

Oury attributed Guinea’s lag in part to a lack of cognizance of the swift advancements in the field. He pointed to underutilized past investments, such as a $10 million optical fiber project along the Guinean coast, as an example.

According to the latest United Nations report, "E-Government Survey 2022: The Future of Digital Government," Guinea ranks 162nd out of 193 countries worldwide in terms of e-government administration. The country, with an index of 0.2955, falls into the group of nations with an average e-government development index. Guinea is still below the global average index of 0.6102. In 2020, the country ranked 158th, marking a regression of four places.

In response to these deficiencies, The Prime Minister called for the removal of all obstacles hindering efficient computer systems in public administration, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office.

On the technical front, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy is already making strides towards the swift modernization of public administration. The Republic of Guinea’s digitalization strategy, spearheaded by the national digitization agency, ANDE, is currently in the drafting stage. By 2026, it aims to digitally transform the Guinean administration, ensuring the sustainable development of digital technology that yields social and economic benefits for citizens and both the private and public sectors.

Samira Njoya