The Mohamed VI Polytechnic University of Benguerir will host, on November 25 and 26, the 10th edition of the Assises de la Transformation digitale en Afrique (ATDA), co-organized with the National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data (CNDP ).
Dedicated to the digital sector in Africa, the event will be held on November 25 and 26, in the premises of the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University. This year’s edition is co-organized in partnership with the National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data (CNDP), the organizers said in a press release.
Celebrated under the theme ” Deploy a resilient, sovereign and sustainable infrastructure to encourage African innovation », This 2021 edition will focus on infrastructure as a crucial issue for digital development, underlines the same source, specifying that infrastructure remains an essential pillar to achieve digital trust and sovereignty and control sensitive data knowing that this problematic is more topical than ever.
The health crisis has highlighted the strong disparities in access, advance the organizers, especially with regard to broadband. In some isolated areas, the cost of broadband access can represent up to 70% of household income, estimates the same source, citing the World Bank, which notes that the reduction of the digital divide in Africa is estimated at 100 billion dollars. This is a major challenge to face the multiple socio-economic challenges facing the continent.
Considered as a formidable accelerator in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African digital sector is full of important sources of growth, raises the same source, noting that it is necessary to promote and strengthen them through cooperation between States so as to define, in an autonomous manner, a roadmap and a technological trajectory.
“To celebrate these 10 years, the 2021 edition will be largely devoted to trust and digital sovereignty. Together, we will reflect on how the continent will implement infrastructure and capacities to ensure the storage, control and management of citizen and business data on African soil. », Declared Mohamadou Diallo, Founder of ATDA and President of the Organizing Committee quoted in the press release.
For his part, Omar Seghrouchni, President of the CNDP, co-organizer of the event, also quoted in the press release, indicates that “po promote the necessary development of digital, we must develop ecosystems of sovereign trust. To live digital, you have to breathe digital confidence “.
Sharing experiences to bring out best practices
During this event, exchanges on new skills and new professions will be organized, let the organizers know. Confidence and sovereignty indeed need local skills to assert themselves and face the new challenges related to the protection of personal data and cybersecurity, they note, wondering at the same time whether Africa wishes to decide, in complete independence, on its technological choices and its regulation, without being subject to external forces, digital confidence and sovereignty are the prerequisite.
An approach to which several Moroccan national and private institutions already adhere, remind the organizers.
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