Digital Observatory
Since 2016, the Republic of Benin has invested significantly in the digital sector to make Benin a regional digital leader for economic growth and social inclusion. In collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Ministry for Digital Affairs recognised among others the need to strengthen the technical capacity for the production of ICT statistics, improve data collection tools and pool resources for the collection and publication of ICT data. The aim is to create a solid mechanism to measure Benin’s progress in the digital sector.
In addition, research conducted by Beninese public sector reveals a disparity between the considerable endeavours made to advance the local sector and international rankings failing to acknowledge those efforts. Further, the methodology and data sources used by these international actors are often not transparent or reliable. This translates into discrepancies between the indicators published by national and international organisations.
For this reason, the Beninese government included the creation of a Digital Observatory as a reform in its 2021-2026 action programme.
Recommendations
- Conduct a detailed stakeholder analysis to identify all actors from the public sector who need to be involved in development of the Digital Observatory.
- Perform a detailed analysis of indexes to be published for internal purposes and for external entities (ITU, Smart Africa, World bank, etc.) to identify the responsibilities among identified stakeholders.
- Carry out a benchmark analysis of existing “Observatories” and similar platforms or structures to draw inspiration from them for the development of the structure.
- Pay attention to interconnectivity issues in the development of the functional and logical architecture.
- The strategy for the operationalisation of the Digital Observatory needs to take into consideration the technical development, the administration of the platform, governance and ownership as well as possible regulatory changes.