The African continent is undergoing a profound transformation of both its public services and its economy, driven by the rapid adoption of ICT. However, harnessing the full potential of these cutting-edge technologies requires the expertise and guidance of well-informed professionals.

Russia plans to enhance its ICT collaboration with African countries.  As part of this effort, leading figures from some 36 African nations have been invited to Moscow this month to connect with Russian tech specialists and investors.

The initiative, spearheaded by Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova (pictured above), daughter of the Russian President, aims to support Africa's development of digital governance services, including cybersecurity, digitization of public services, and electronic voting. The initiative is being driven through a center affiliated with the Russian Foundation for Intellectual Development.

This effort falls under an awareness-raising project titled "e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program," which was launched in July by the foundation in partnership with the Moscow Higher School of Economics.

Through this initiative, participating African countries will gain access to Russia's advanced expertise in providing digital services to citizens. According to international experts, Russia ranks among the most advanced countries in the digitization of public services. The country is ranked 42nd  in this area out of 193 countries by the  UN. 

In terms of e-voting, Russia is currently testing a digital platform that will be used for the presidential election in 2024. This presents an opportunity for African countries to familiarize themselves with this innovation, which is still gaining traction on the continent. As a result of this working visit and the ensuing partnerships, African countries will also enhance their cybersecurity capabilities. Notably, in the wake of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the country has been actively developing solutions to strengthen its cyberspace.

Samira Njoya