The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, a multilateral institution whose objective is to contribute to the sustainable economic development and social progress of African countries, has approved grants for digitising the Comorian economy.
The financing – a total of EUR9.51 million (US$10.51 million) – is for implementation of the Project to Support the Digitisation of the Comorian Economy.
The project, says the AfDB, will improve the governance, quality, affordability and accessibility of relevant public services offered to users. It will set up a digital administration through the construction and operationalisation of a new data centre, the existing secondary data centre, and what is referred to as an incubator.
The intention is to recruit a private operator for the operation, marketing, maintenance and expansion of the data centres as part of a public-private partnership to mobilise private expertise and additional financing over time to reduce the pressure on public expenditures.
The project also includes the establishment of a comprehensive digital administration platform, e-services development, a digital public payment system, interoperability and a data exchange platform. The incubator aims to enhance conditions for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
The project will also provide funds to establish and operationalise a National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data and Access to Information. The project will also improve local digital training offered through financing to the University of Comoros.
Once completed, it is hoped that the project will ensure the emergence of a comprehensive and coherent range of digital services capable of meeting the needs of the population and leave the Comoros, a volcanic archipelago off Africa’s east coast with a population of around 871,000, better able to compete and operate in the digital world.
