AU energy commissioner commends Egypt’s digitalization efforts under “Decent Life”

30 / 04 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

African Union Energy and Infrastructure Commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid commended the efforts exerted by Egypt under the presidential initiative “Decent Life” to extend high-speed digital networks in all Egyptian villages.

She also lauded similar digital programs in Niger, Guinea, Benin and other countries.

The commissioner said digital linkage is pivotal for activating the African Continental Free Trade Area, highlighting how digitalization contributes to economic transformation to green, flexible and comprehensive growth.

She noted that 45 percent of internet users in Africa are males, while females represent 34 percent, highlighting the importance of narrowing this gender gap in digitalization as this would hamper women’s benefit all opportunities offered through digitalization.

The commissioner underscored the importance of accelerating the implementation of high-speed digital linkage projects in various parts of Africa, working on narrowing the digitalization gender gap in order to realize a development leap.

She made the remarks during the Transform Africa Summit which is held in Zimbabwe from April 26 to 28.

Running under the theme “Connect, Innovate and Transform”, Transform Africa Summit aims to enable Member States to become more competitive, agile, open and innovative smart economies.

It is an opportunity for meaningful engagements on how governments can attract large-scale investments and enable fast growth and exports as well as for the private sector to thrive in an innovation and ICT-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem, hence transform African nations into smart societies.