A workshop on the digital economy and the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) was initiated by the African Development Bank (AfDB) whose meeting took place this Wednesday, February 19, at the Babacar N'diaye auditorium at its headquarters in Abidjan.

Organized by the industrial and commercial development department as well as the IT department of the financial institution, this workshop aims to present the AfDB's support for the digital economy in Africa, to discuss the challenges in this area and define the approaches relevant to harnessing the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

It should be noted that this work follows the recent publication of the report, “Unlocking the potential of the fourth industrial revolution in Africa” by the AfDB's Industrial and Commercial Development Department. A document that examines the aspects relating to this fourth industrial revolution and analyzes the cases of these particular technologies in Africa (artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, internet of things, drones, etc.)

This meeting will also strengthen collaboration between the institution, other development partners, governments and the private sector, as well as encourage the creation of business-to-business (B2B) networks between the Bank's technical specialists and private sector actors. .

At the opening, the Director of Industrialization and Trade, Doctor Abdu Muchtar at the AfDB, indicated that it will be a question of educating the participants on the fourth industrial revolution, to see how Africa can set up efficient industries and identify the challenges and opportunities of the 4th industrial revolution.

As for the consultant, Francic Sadeski, for her part, she presented the issues and challenges of the AfDB report on the fourth industrial revolution in Africa, which was launched last year in South Africa.

She indicated that this report underlines that the fourth industrial revolution will make it possible in the future to respond to societal challenges and achieve the millennium development goals and modern agriculture and better energy coverage of the African continent.

Panels focusing in particular on the digital transformation process for African business; the use of drones for increased business productivity and how technology can accelerate financial inclusion in Africa.

Participants in the workshop are, among others, the ministries in charge of the digital economy, industry and investments, private sector actors, civil society organizations, development partners, the media and personnel of the Bank.