Digital Transformation Centers

Supporting Digital Transformation in Africa

WHO WE ARE

The Digital Transformation Centers (DTCs) are a growing network of physical and virtual innovation hubs. They offer opportunities for collaboration and development of digital solutions from Africans for Africans, events about current ICT topics and trends, training and capacity development, as well as networking.

When we say digital, we do not simply mean taking paper forms and putting them online or building apps and websites. The DTCs are spaces where we rethink and redesign processes and interactions between the government and its citizens. We leverage technologies to work in new ways, solve problems and scale them to other ecosystems.

The Digital Transformation Centers are implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Still growing, they count 16 globally of which the following support the African countries: Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia.

OUR WORK

The Digital Transformation Centers address local challenges and focus on democratic and participatory processes to strengthen national structures, the economy and society. Here, innovation, technical know-how, participation, IT knowledge, research and entrepreneurship are bundled. The local and regional operating centers share their experiences in a global network. This enables them to respond quickly to the continuously changing challenges in the field of digitalization in line with the demand.

Unlike private-sector offerings, which mostly promote elites, the work of the Digital Transformation Centers focuses on promoting women and girls as well as people affected by the digital divide. The DTCs work with new political partners, such as ICT and digital ministries, tech companies, and the digital ecosystem across countries to set a sustainable and broad-based course for digital transformation in partner countries.

For example, the DTC Niger focuses on innovation in the agricultural sector through government consulting, educational resources, exchange platforms, and the promotion of e-services.

OUR GOAL

Our goal is the sustainable strengthening of local, digital ecosystems. In doing so, a balance must be struck between social and political responsibility, ecological equilibrium, and economic performance. This is the only way to enable current generations to meet their needs without endangering future generations. Digital competencies and capabilities in our partner countries must be strengthened in such a way that they can shape the digital transformation toward a sustainable society themselves.