As part of its digital transformation strategy, Senegal is targeting a significant increase in the contribution of its digital sector, aiming for at least 15% of GDP within the next ten years. To achieve this ambitious goal, the government is committed to unifying its digital initiatives and streamlining projects to enhance efficiency and impact.

Senegal will establish a Digital Governance Committee, GouvNum, to coordinate and streamline its digital initiatives, officials said. The project, approved during a Council of Ministers meeting on February 19, aims to create a cohesive framework for state-led digital transformation.

According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the past two decades have seen massive investments in modernizing public digital infrastructure and interconnecting government entities. These efforts laid the foundation for a national information system and a government enterprise architecture. However, a fragmented approach to digital projects has led to duplication, inconsistencies, rising inefficiencies, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and misalignment between sectoral strategies and the national digital agenda. These challenges hindered the goals set by the previous digital strategy (SN20-25).

The creation of GouvNum aligns with Senegal’s new digital strategy, the New Deal Technologique, set to launch on February 24. This committee will provide a unified governance framework for digital initiatives, ensuring project coordination, strategic alignment across sectors, improved system security, and more effective monitoring and evaluation.

Additionally, GouvNum will enhance the prioritization of digital programs, laying the groundwork for a more efficient and integrated digital transformation. A key objective of this effort is to boost the digital sector’s contribution to at least 15% of GDP within the next decade. This ambition will be driven by a structured approach under the New Deal Technologique, which includes 12 targeted programs designed to accelerate Senegal’s digital economy.

By Samira Njoya,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji