The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Shenzhen Transsion Holdings Co. Ltd. (Transsion) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster an accelerated digital transformation in Africa.
The partnership is founded on the complementary expertise and strengths of both parties, with a primary focus on fostering collaboration in research and analytical studies, according to a release on Wednesday.
The release stated that the shared goal of the two institutions is to provide valuable insights and policy recommendations in key areas of the digital ecosystem in Africa, including e-commerce, fintech, digital payments, financial inclusion, digital trade, and more.
Both organizations intend to harness the power of emerging technologies, big data, innovative tools, and platforms to achieve these objectives, added the release.
Nassim Oulmane, Acting Director of the Technology, Climate Change, and Natural Resource Management Division at ECA, commended the pivotal role of Transsion in enhancing access to affordable and high-quality digital technology for African citizens.
He further commended Transsion’s proactive involvement with various stakeholders, including ECA, in pushing forward the continent’s digital transformation agenda.
“This partnership can yield meaningful and impactful results in addressing digital challenges and bridging the digital divide on the African continent,” Oulmane remarked.
Africa is currently the continent with the least level of connectivity in the world, where 60 percent of its population remains offline.
However, the ECA pledged its preparedness to bridge digital divide by promoting infrastructure development and affordability, digital policy formulation, and fostering digital skills.
Harnessing Africa’s potential to embrace digital development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the continent’s Agenda 2063 requires that Africa’s youth, which will represent almost half of global youth by 2030, are ready for a digital future and the 4th Industrial Revolution.
We are pleased to be ECA’s collaborator and technical partner,” said George Zhu Zhaojiang, Founder and Chair of Transsion.
Zhu Zhaojiang added, “We will give full play to Transsion’s technical expertise, as well as Transsion Innovation Hub’s investment capabilities and strategic resources, to jointly empower the development of Africa’s digital economy, and help build new momentum for growth in the African economy.”
Through Transsion’s data platform DataSparkle, he said the company would provide data analytics support for internet access and digital development in Africa.