Lagos: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has urged West African countries to harness innovation, data, and frontier technologies to drive economic transformation and sustainable development. The Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, made this call during a virtual pre-conference dialogue organized by the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa. This meeting served as a precursor to the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, scheduled to take place in Tangier, Morocco, from March 28 to April 3.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Diop emphasized that innovation and digital transformation are now critical drivers of economic growth globally. She highlighted the necessity for Africa, particularly the West African sub-region, to leverage innovation, data systems, and emerging technologies to accelerate structural transformation and sustainable development. Diop noted the significant progress in digital connectivity in
recent years, citing that access to third-generation mobile networks in Africa increased from 54 percent in 2015 to 86 percent in 2024, with West Africa recording about 85.9 percent connectivity within the same period.
Furthermore, Diop stated that Africa’s internet economy is projected to reach 180 billion dollars by 2025, corresponding to approximately 5.2 percent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). She projected that this figure could grow to around 712 billion dollars, representing 8.5 percent of GDP by 2050. Frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence are already transforming production systems, trade logistics, governance, and service delivery. Diop reiterated the ECA’s commitment to supporting member states in leveraging digital transformation to drive economic growth and development, including supporting policy reforms in areas such as tax systems, digital governance, intra-African trade, and innovative financing. These interventions are anchored on the United Nations Global Digit
al Compact adopted in 2024.
In addition, Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts, Joseph Samah, highlighted the importance of innovation and frontier technologies in achieving structural transformation in West Africa. Despite periods of strong economic growth over the past two decades, many African economies remain dependent on primary commodities. Samah pointed out that productivity growth, industrial diversification, and technological capabilities in the region are still limited. However, frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics, and robotics offer opportunities to transform production systems and improve governance. He emphasized that data has become a strategic asset for evidence-based policymaking and improved public service delivery.
Samah affirmed that the dialogue provided a platform for countries to share experiences and identify policy options for accelerating innovation-led growth. He encouraged participants to actively contribute ideas and recommend
ations that would inform deliberations at the upcoming Conference of African Ministers. The theme of the dialogue is ‘Growth through innovation: Harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of West Africa.’