Digital sector and digitization in Benin: Notable progress

Since 2016, Benin aims to become the digital services platform of West Africa. This vision serves as a compass for all the transformations that have taken place in the sector since then.. The Minister of Digital and Digitalization, Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou recalled this in the assessment of 12 first months of President Patrice Talon's second term.

Since the advent of the government of rupture, Benin began by distinguishing itself in the most beautiful way in the digital sector with a clear orientation. The Minister of Digital and Digitalization is proud of it. “The actions, projects, the reforms, everything that happened in a resolute and truly courageous way, allowed us, to make our country, The Benin, a nation that counts when we talk about digital in Africa and in the world” enchants Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou.

There are logistics, the minister said.. “The national fiber optic backbone has been rehabilitated and extended. We have infrastructure like the national data center, the digital administration network which interconnects administrative sites. We have the public key infrastructure system to secure transactions, a national digital security strategy, an e-services portal that, today, allows citizens to benefit from state public services, 24h/24, 7d/7” she explained. “Mobile number portability is in place. To this must be added the normative, regulatory and legal framework.. This is the digital code. So many achievements which create an environment conducive to the emergence of a prosperous digital economy in the country” added Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou.

E-services, showcases of dematerialization.

According to the Minister, several public services are now accessible online. “Citizens and businesses interact with public administration through the National Public Services Portal. In terms of numbers, the national portal www.servicepublic.bj provides online information on more than 700 transactions with public administration. Depending on requests, the figure can go up to 780,” she informed. Among these 780 services “more than a hundred, until 132 sometimes are services that can be requested online. For some people, pay even online and for others, obtain the required administrative document or service ». This advance, described as “tremendous”, allows users to save time “therefore bringing value to their businesses, to their personal activities ».

E-services but not only

According to the minister, e-services are not the only element for evaluating digitalization. “There are also reforms concerning internal digitalization at the administration level. That is to say the way in which the administration works among itself, the ministries among themselves and the agencies with the ministries” said Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou. She affirms that at this level the lines have really moved. " Today, we have a national interoperability platform that is available, which allows an administration to exchange data securely with another public administration entity, either automatically or even manually, in any case according to need” she informed. More than 2.000.000 number of transactions counted took place through this national interoperability platform. Digital correspondence without waiting for physical mail also contributes to the digitalization of administration to make it more efficient and more transparent.. Consequences, work in public administration is better planned. Which contributes to the increase in “the digital maturity of the Beninese administration” according to the minister.

To those who request completely free dematerialization, the minister, during this oral presentation made it known that this is not possible. The reason is very simple. “Public services did not appear with dematerialization. When, previously, you asked for a criminal record (This is one of the most requested e-services), you had to pay for this state benefit, so dematerialization has not come to make things more complex” clarified Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou.

Arnaud ACAKPO (Coll)