New Technological Deal, or or how a Global South Digital strategy for impactful ICT Transformation

Samba Diouf argues that Senegal's digital transformation is fundamentally a social transformation for the whole country, not simply a technological upgrade. He outlines three strategic pillars: digital sovereignty (placing cloud, cyber, and AI at the heart of transformation), digital public infrastructure (DPI) to link government, citizens, and enterprises, and skills and innovation to ensure young people can benefit from and use AI.

Diouf explicitly stated that the digital transformation Senegal wants to build is 'not like a digital technology transformation, it is a social transformation for the whole country' . He described the first pillar as digital sovereignty, with Senegal placing cloud, cyber, and AI at the heart of its transformation, aiming to govern, operate, and protect these technologies independently . The second pillar is DPI, described as a trusted infrastructure linking government, citizens, and enterprises , and the third is skills and innovation, focused on ensuring young people can benefit from and use AI to detect and access more opportunities .

Diouf emphasises that the session marks a transition from strategic planning to actual implementation of the New Deal Technologique. The focus is on acceleration, setting up the new deal, and making it happen through engagement with private sector partners and the digital innovation ecosystem.

Diouf stated that 'we want to shift from the strategic to the implementation' and that the session would focus on 'acceleration, how to set up the new deal and how to make the new deal happen' . He noted that participants would hear pitches from partners representing the private sector and digital innovation ecosystems sharing the Senegal vision .

Speaker 1 (Mokhtar) clarifies the financial scope of the New Deal Technologique, noting that while the total budget is around 2 billion dollars over ten years, the immediate need is over 700 million dollars, of which only 150 million is currently secured, leaving a gap of over 550 million dollars. The strategy is structured around 12 programmes containing 54 projects, each offering specific entry points for investors.

Speaker 1 stated that the budget for the New Deal Technologique is 'around 2 billion dollars for the coming 10 years' but that the immediate need is 'more than 700 million where we just have 150' . He described 12 programmes with 54 projects, each offering value for investors, and emphasised that investors are expected to align with the national strategy rather than dictate project delivery .

Speaker 1 explains that a dedicated Delivery Unit within the ministry is responsible for monitoring all projects under the New Deal strategy. This unit ensures that investments and projects are assessed against strategic alignment, social and environmental impact, and employment generation before being accepted.

Speaker 1 noted that 'in the New Deal strategy, we have 50 projects, and to do the monitoring, we have a department in the ministry that we call Delivery Unit that is in charge of the monitoring for all these projects' . He also described a governance structure led by the Prime Minister that checks whether projects are aligned with strategy, have environmental impact, and generate employment .

Speaker 1 presents Senegal's Digital Public Infrastructure as comprising three interconnected components: a digital ID system currently being developed with key stakeholders, an interoperability platform called PINs based on X-Road technology, and an e-payment solution integrated into the citizen portal e-Senegal. These components together form a holistic and integrated approach to digital transformation.

Speaker 1 described the DPI as built around interoperability services and outlined three main components: digital ID under development with public and private stakeholders , the PINs interoperability platform based on X-Road technology with an MVP already launched covering social protection and public financial use cases , and the e-payment solution called San Trezo used within the e-Senegal citizen portal .

Speaker 1 outlines a phased roadmap for Senegal's DPI development, with clear milestones: establishing the legal and regulatory framework by 2027, scaling interoperability and national ID by 2028, and achieving measurable digital economy impact by 2030. This structured timeline provides clarity for both domestic implementation and international partners.

Speaker 1 stated that 'at 2027, we would like to establish the and record framework for DPI', that 'from 2028, we will do the interoperability and also the national ID at scale', and that the DPI impact for the digital economy is targeted for 2030 .

Speaker 1 extends an open invitation to international technical and financial partners to come to Senegal and support the development of a sustainable digital public infrastructure platform. The invitation is framed as a collaborative opportunity where partners can find specific projects within the 54-project framework that align with their interests and capabilities.

Speaker 1 explicitly invited partners, stating: 'as the technical partner and also the financial partner, we invite you to come in Senegal to support us, build our sustainable and digital impact platform' . He further elaborated that for each of the 54 projects, investors may find where they can add value, and that the governance structure ensures alignment with national strategy .

Speaker 1 describes a governance model led by the Prime Minister that evaluates all incoming investments and projects against multiple criteria, including strategic alignment, environmental impact, and employment generation. This represents a deliberate shift away from the previous model where donors would arrive with pre-defined projects and dictate delivery terms.

Speaker 1 stated clearly that 'you come with your investment and you dictate the project you want to deliver, it's not working anymore like this' . He described a governance structure that checks whether projects are aligned with strategy, have environmental impact, and generate employment, with multiple KPIs defined before any project is accepted .

Nefatu Blondin presents Senegal's ambitious plan to deploy a satellite constellation to provide free connectivity to 1 million citizens over two years. The programme targets specific underserved groups and areas, including schools, health institutions, and the particularly poor region of Casamance, as part of the broader New Deal Technologique strategy.

Blondin stated that Senegal, through the New Deal Technologique, has decided to deploy a constellation of satellites to connect 1 million citizens for free, with satellite kits deployed and connection ensured for two years . She specified that the objectives include improving education through kits in schools and training centres , covering all health structures , and a specific programme for Casamance where digital tools will improve living conditions .

Blondin explains that the Universal Service Fund (FD Sud) has a classic programme called PAU aimed at covering unserved and underserved localities by 2029. The programme targets 413 localities with no coverage at all and 3,258 localities served by only one operator, funded by a combination of operator contributions and state funding.

Blondin described the PAU programme as aiming to cover 413 completely unserved localities and 3,258 localities with only one operator by 2029, with financing from operators and the state of Senegal . She also mentioned an additional project called PAENS with funding from the World Bank, and ambitions to diversify participation to accelerate the connectivity sector .

Blondin outlines a range of digital inclusion initiatives that complement the connectivity infrastructure. These include the installation of 200 multimedia rooms, a smartphone affordability programme developed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and GSMA, and community digital hubs (Espaces Numériques Ouverts) that bring together the scientific community, local communities, and territorial collectivities.

Blondin mentioned the installation of 200 multimedia rooms on the short horizon , a smartphone equipment programme involving the Delivery Unit, the Ministry of Finance, and the GSMA to provide affordable smartphones , and community digital hubs already installed in Dangalma, Kaulak, and Casamance with more being prepared . She also noted that these initiatives include strengthening digital capacity among women and young people, as well as training in robotics and coding .

Speaker 2 (Hassan Watt) presents the Senegal Digital Factory as a national framework structured in four layers designed to support the full value chain of innovation and entrepreneurship. The layers progress from governance and coordination, through digital industrialisation and sovereign infrastructure, to an AI and data factory that serves as the national sovereign layer for data, compute, AI models, and talent.

Speaker 2 described the four layers as: first, network and governance providing national architecture standards and coordination ; second, digital industrialisation focused on moving beyond incubation to prototyping, production, and commercialisation including fab labs and prototyping spaces ; third, sovereign infrastructure covering cloud, data centres, cybersecurity, connectivity, and digital trust services ; and fourth, an AI and data factory serving as a national sovereign layer on data, compute, AI models, standards, talent, and high-impact use cases .

Speaker 2 identifies two primary challenges facing Senegal's innovation ecosystem: a financing gap that leaves early-stage startups without sufficient capital to move from prototype to market, and a critical infrastructure deficit encompassing cloud, data infrastructure, compute capacity, cybersecurity, and GPU access. These gaps represent the key areas where partner support is most needed.

Speaker 2 stated that 'the first challenge is the financing gap' and that 'early-stage capital for startups needs support to move from prototype to market' . He identified the second challenge as compute and infrastructure, noting that 'AI needs cloud, also data infrastructure, compute capacity, cybersecurity, and GPU access' , and suggested partners could contribute through cloud and AI credits, compute capacity, cybersecurity solutions, machine learning platforms, and server-enhancing infrastructure .

Speaker 2 concludes by emphasising that the invitation to international partners goes beyond simple financial contribution. Partners are invited to engage as strategic co-builders of Senegal's innovation ecosystem, contributing expertise, infrastructure, and long-term commitment alongside financial resources.

Speaker 2 stated clearly that 'our invitation today is clear. It's about joining us not only as funders but as partners to build our strategic innovation' .

Speaker 4 (Malik Gay) argues that Wave's strategy of drastically reducing costs in mobile money services was the key driver of mass adoption and financial inclusion in Senegal. By making digital financial services affordable, Wave was able to reach over 10 million monthly users and demonstrate a concrete private sector contribution to digital inclusion.

Speaker 4 noted that when Wave started, costs related to digital financial services were 'quite heavy, quite expensive' and a large portion of the population was excluded . Wave responded by building services for those sending money, paying bills, and receiving salaries, and achieved 'more than 10 million monthly users' by 'cutting costs drastically' . He described this as a 'concrete contribution of the private sector consisting to accelerate the digital inclusion' .

Speaker 4 highlights Wave's status as the first unicorn in Francophone Africa as evidence that African-built companies can lead innovation and social transformation. He emphasises that Wave is built by Africans for Africans, with a large team based in Senegal, and that this represents a concrete example of the social transformation the minister described.

Speaker 4 stated with pride that 'Wave is the first unicorn in Francophone Africa', that 'Wave is an African tech company and Wave is built for Africans with a big team of Africans and most of them based in Senegal' . He directly linked this to the minister's earlier remarks, saying it is 'a concrete example of what we call a social transformation as you mentioned it before' .

Speaker 4 argues that digital transformation in Senegal requires genuine collaboration between the private sector and government, as neither can succeed independently. He calls for a shared plan that benefits all 18 million Senegalese citizens, with the private sector positioned as a partner in the deal rather than a mere service provider.

Speaker 4 stated that 'Wave cannot do it alone by himself, but also the government can do it by itself' and that 'it's important today to work together and to define a plan who would be a benefit for 18 millions of Senegalese' . He reiterated Wave's 'availability to support the ministry and also the government' and described the private sector's role as 'just to be part of the deal' .

Speaker 3 (Ibrahim) uses two contrasting stories about Senegal's national single window for trade to illustrate both the country's growing implementation capacity and a critical lesson about measuring success. The first implementation took nine years; the most recent took only eleven months. However, he cautions that for technical platforms, success should be measured not by whether the system works, but by whether it is actually used by the population.

Speaker 3 recounted that Senegal's first national single window, decided in 1996, took nine years to become fully operational in 2004 , while the most recent single window for the port of Dakar environment was implemented in just eleven months . He noted that the port of Dakar rose from a world ranking of around 300 to around 200, becoming the third port in sub-Saharan Africa and then the first port in Africa in terms of the logistics performance index . He emphasised that for donors, the key point is that 'it is not about having something that is working, it is having something that is used by the population from 0% to 100%' .

Speaker 5 (Christian) describes 4CEN's large-scale training programmes targeting both civil servants and young people in Senegal. The programme has trained approximately 100,000 civil servants in basic AI and computer literacy, and a further 100,000 young people aged 18 to 35 across 30 to 40 different competency certificates, with support to help trainees find employment after completing their training.

Speaker 5 stated that 4CEN trained 'about 100,000 civil servants' in basic AI technology and computer literacy , and 'over 100,000 young people from age 18 to 35 in Senegal' in 'about 30 to 40 different certificates of competency', with support to help them get jobs after training .

Speaker 5 outlines 4CEN's investment in physical innovation infrastructure and early-stage funding to support young entrepreneurs. Six Fab Labs are being built to serve startups emerging from the training programmes, and a 5 million dollar seed fund is being used to provide capital to young people to help grow their startups.

Speaker 5 noted that 4CEN is building 'six different Fab Labs that's going to be useful for the startups that are going to come from the training' , and that they have '$5 million' being used as seed money given to young trained people to help them develop and grow their startups .

Speaker 5 describes a programme targeting high school students in science streams, distributing computers to every student in these programmes and providing a free online learning platform focused on mathematics and physics. The goal is to encourage more young Senegalese to pursue science and technology careers from an early age.

Speaker 5 described a programme that distributes computers to every high school student in science subjects (referred to as 'SD' in Senegal) , and a free online platform specifically geared towards science courses in mathematics and physics to help students in their classes .

The GIZ representative argues that even the most ambitious digital strategy will only deliver tangible results if five key conditions are met. These conditions span governance, human capacity, performance measurement, stakeholder inclusion, and sustainability, forming a comprehensive framework for successful implementation.

The GIZ representative outlined five conditions: first, strong and coordinated governance with clear leadership and institutional roles ; second, capacity development to give public institutions the skills to design and implement digital policies ; third, a results-oriented approach with measurable indicators and a performance culture ; fourth, inclusive governance engaging the entire digital ecosystem including government, private sector, startups, academia, civil society, and development partners ; and fifth, sustainability integrating environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and ethical governance .

The GIZ representative explains that GIZ's Going Digital project provides concrete support to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Affairs in operationalising the New Deal Technologique. This support focuses on strengthening governance structures, developing decision-making tools, and establishing a performance monitoring framework.

The GIZ representative stated that the Going Digital project supports the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Affairs in 'operationalizing the New Deal technology through strengthening the digital governance committee, developing governance and decision-making tools and establishing a performance monitoring framework' . GIZ also works with the ministry on 'strengthening the monitoring and evaluating framework for the new deal technology, streamlining key performance indicators and developing strategic dashboards that support evidence-based decision-making' .

The GIZ representative articulates a clear vision of the appropriate role of international cooperation in Senegal's digital transformation: to complement rather than replace national efforts, to facilitate dialogue among stakeholders, and to help build strategic partnerships that support national priorities. This positions international partners as enablers rather than drivers of the transformation.

The GIZ representative stated that the role of international cooperation is 'not to replace' national efforts, but to 'foster dialogue among stakeholders and help build strategic partnership and that support national priorities' . This was presented as the concluding message of GIZ's contribution to the session.

An audience member identifying as a cybersecurity strategist argues that the colossal investments being made in Senegal's digital ecosystem must be protected through appropriate cybersecurity controls, measures, and assessments. Without this protection, the ambition to build genuine digital sovereignty cannot be realised.

The audience member, identifying as a cybersecurity strategist based in the US who has been following developments in the Global South, advised that 'these investments are very colossal in terms of dollar or money' and urged that they be protected 'by using the correct control, measure and assessment in order to build like a digital sovereignty that is worthwhile and also being like an example for the rest of the world' .

Dr Matasek from the UN Economic Commission for Africa raises the question of implementation mechanisms, arguing that a good strategy must be accompanied by concrete mechanisms for involving the private sector and civil society. He also highlights the importance of diverse financing strategies, including public-private partnerships, domestic capital mobilisation, and an attractive regulatory environment.

Dr Matasek, identifying as Chief of Emerging Technology at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, praised the strategy as one of the most complete among 44 African country strategies reviewed , but asked 'what mechanism you put in place for the implementation' and emphasised the importance of 'involving the private sector and also the civil society' . He also raised the question of financing, suggesting leverage through 'PPP or to mobilize the domestic capital or to have an attractive regulatory environment' .

An audience member identifying as a Senegalese founder based in Sweden asks what concrete strategies exist to support local founders in building globally competitive companies. He draws comparisons with established tech ecosystems such as Silicon Valley and Stockholm's Silicon Valhalla, arguing that Senegal needs a similar enabling environment for founders to build unicorn-level companies.

The audience member, identifying as a solo founder building an AI product called Octopus and describing himself as a Senegalese expat based in Sweden, asked 'how Senegal can support founders, you know, building, you know, trying to solve real world problems and wanting to build Unicode' . He referenced Silicon Valley and Stockholm's Silicon Valhalla as examples of ecosystems that enable founders to build great companies, and asked for 'the real strategy that actually could help, you know, founders, Senegalese founders' .

The Moderator opens the session by establishing its purpose: to present the New Deal Technologique roadmap, outline what is coming in Senegal, and explore how international partners can cooperate and invest to achieve results. The session is framed as a structured presentation followed by partner contributions.

The Moderator stated that the session is 'dedicated to the New Deal Technologic and how we can proceed with cooperation, international participation to make it happen' , and that 'we have a new roadmap named New Deal Technologic that we have today at this session to present you what is coming in Senegal, how can we together go to have some results and some investment' .

The Moderator outlines a deliberate session structure that begins with a video and ministerial keynote, moves through government project presentations on connectivity, DPI, and AI, and then transitions to private sector and partner contributions. This structure reflects the multi-stakeholder approach central to the New Deal Technologique.

The Moderator described the programme as starting with a video, followed by the minister's comments, then slides from partners on what has already been done and what remains to be done . Later, the Moderator explicitly signalled the transition from government to private sector, stating 'we already seen about what is done in the government so we can move through the partners the private sector' .

Throughout the session, the Moderator repeatedly reminded speakers of time constraints and limited questions to ensure all partners could present. This reflects the large number of stakeholders involved in the New Deal Technologique and the importance of giving each a platform.

The Moderator reminded speakers that 'we are running in time, so if you can please have three minutes' , and later stated 'I know you have much more to tell but we are running out of time' . When opening for questions, the Moderator limited contributions, saying 'five minutes they said five minutes' and 'we are taking one last' .

After the structured presentations, the Moderator opened the floor for audience questions and contributions, enabling dialogue on key implementation challenges including cybersecurity, private sector involvement, financing mechanisms, and ecosystem support for founders. This facilitation role ensured that critical questions from external experts and practitioners were heard.

The Moderator announced 'we are opening now for 10 minutes' for questions and contributions , and after receiving questions on implementation mechanisms, private sector involvement, and ecosystem support for founders , directed responses to the appropriate speakers, stating 'I think Mokhtar will answer some questions, and Hassan, too, about the ecosystem' .