The African Development Bank (AfDB) is injecting US$78.13mn in Senegal’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector
AfDB’s board of directors approved the Senegal Digital Technology Park project which aims to promote the country as a centre of excellence and a destination for the establishment of call centers, e-commerce, software development, wireless Internet facilities and other ICT market segments.
The proposed park will include an incubator to foster tech-enabled businesses, often run by recent graduates. The project is expected to produce 35,000 direct jobs and a further 105,000 indirect jobs by 2025. Further, it is expected to modernise the government, which will be the main user of the data centre; diversify the economy into tech-enabled business, content development and business process outsourcing; support academic technology-based research; and simplify provision of services to citizens of Senegal.
By creating a sound IT foundation, Senegal also hopes to attract multinationals and companies to relocate their activities to the new urban centre developing around Diamniadio, Diass, Sebikotane and Lake Rose.
Senegal’s government needs to create large-scale IT capacity so that it can modernise its own operations and improve its interaction with citizens. It also needs to meet the demand of more than 20 companies including ATOS, Tigo Senegal and Solution Informatique Durable (SOLID), all of which have indicated their interest to relocate to the park, provided there is a strong IT foundation that will enable them to deliver their products and services.
The Digital Technology Park will be a key project for Senegal’s economic growth and its competitiveness at the global level, especially since ICT is currently one of the growth drivers of the country.
