Smart Africa Alliance

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The Smart Africa Alliance is a partnership among African countries [1] adhering to the Smart Africa Manifesto. Its goal is to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development on the African continent [2] through usage of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and through better access to broadband services. Other Partners of the Smart Africa Alliance include the African Union, the ITU, World Bank, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the GSMA, ICANN and companies. [3] The Smart Africa Alliance board is chaired by President Paul Kagame [4] and the secretariat is led by director general Lacina Koné since March 2019. [5]

Contents

Transform Africa Summit

Smart Africa hosts an annual ICT and Technology Policy conference called the Transform Africa Summit. [6] This is Smart Africa's flagship project which is entering its 6th edition. The summit hosts international heads of state, ministers of ICT, [7] business leaders [8] and policy makers.

In 2023 the annual summit was held out Rwanda in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It claimed the involvement of 37 nations including a recent addition of Eswatini. 4,000 delegates from nearly a hundred countries and the presence of five heads of state. [9] Commissioners and leaders from the Broadband commission included Amani Abou-Zeid, Paul Kagame, Doreen Bogdan-Martin of ITU, Co-Vice Chair of the Broadband Commission, Lacina Koné, Director-General of Smart Africa, Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda, Aurélie Adam-Soule Zoumarou, Minister of Digital Economy and Communication of the Republic of Benin, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalization of Ghana and Bocar Ba, Chief Executive Officer of the Samena Telecommunications Council. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "Sudan Joins the Smart Africa Alliance – Smart Africa". 30 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
    - "Le Maroc est devenu le 30e membre de l'Alliance Smart Africa" (in French). Agence Ecofin . Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "Smart Africa Alliance's new Executive Director unveils his bold plan". CNBC Africa. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "About". Smart Africa.
  4. ↑ Hegarty, Aoife. "SMART Africa Scholarship Fund". engineering.cmu.edu. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Kagame chairs Smart Africa Board Meeting". The New Times. Rwanda. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. ↑ Tambur, Silver (11 July 2020). "An Estonian ICT organisation helps Africa turn digital". Estonian World. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "BICS joins One Africa Network initiative to lower roaming charges for Africans". CNBC Africa. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "BICS joins SMART Africa Alliance to enable local roaming". www.capacitymedia.com. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Who is Lacina Koné, the new Director General of Smart Africa ?". Ecofin Agency. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Lacina Koné". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - Velluet, Quentin (18 February 2020). "Lacina Koné (Smart Africa) : " Les opérateurs sont devenus une cible fiscale". Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "KONE". www.broadbandcommission.org. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  6. ↑ May 17; Hersey, 2019 | Frank (17 May 2019). "Digitizing Africa: the Transform Africa summit and leading voices". Biometric Update. Retrieved 1 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    - "Guinea Officially Launches Transform Africa Summit 2020". Taarifa Rwanda. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "5th Transform Africa Summit set for Kigali". Disrupt Africa. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Transform Africa Summit kicks-off in Kigali with a focus on digital innovation". Deutsche Welle. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Transform Africa Summit 2018 – Bigger, Better, Smarter". THE TIMES OF AFRICA. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Transform Africa Summit 2020 "Integrating Africa"". UN-Habitat. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Heads of state address Transform Africa Summit 2019 in Kigali". CNBC Africa. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Everything You Can Expect From This Year's Transform Africa Summit". TechCabal. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Iranzi, Fabrice (20 April 2019). "Eugène Kaspersky, Founder of Kaspersky antivirus confirmed to attend the 5th Transform Africa Summit in Rwanda". RegionWeek. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    - "Kaspersky Lab addresses today's cybersecurity concerns at the close of the Transform Africa Summit in Rwanda". The New Times. Rwanda. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Transform Africa Summit 2023 Press Release Conclusions Distributions – Smart Africa". 30 March 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Leah (24 April 2023). "Broadband Commissioners at the 2023 Transform Africa Summit". Broadband Commission. Retrieved 19 January 2024.


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