Vietnam and Senegal open historic cooperation in telecommunications, digital technology, innovation and digital human resource development

Delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam visited and worked bilaterally

with the Ministry of Communications, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs of Senegal

The two sides discussed new and historic cooperation opportunities in the fields of telecommunications, digital infrastructure, digital transformation and national innovation.

Minister Alioune Sall introduced Senegal's Digital Strategy - "New Deal Technologuiqe" to overcome difficulties and obstacles in the development of telecommunications, digital infrastructure and digital transformation in Senegal. He evaluated Vietnam as a model for Senegal to learn from and aim for, and expressed his desire to attract investment and cooperation in the above-mentioned fields as well as human resource training.

Deputy Minister Bui The Duy expressed his delight at the opening of a new and historic phase of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of telecommunications, digital infrastructure and digital transformation. The Deputy Minister expressed his understanding of the current difficulties in Senegal in developing telecommunications and digital infrastructure and shared valuable lessons that Vietnam has achieved, especially in deploying telecommunications, mobile services and digital transformation to remote and geographically difficult areas. The Deputy Minister also proposed specific directions for cooperation between the two ministries in the coming time.

During the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Duc Quang, Deputy General Director of Viettel Global Investment Joint Stock Corporation, also introduced Viettel's experience, capacity and investment opportunities in Senegal, in order to realize Senegal's digital strategy.

Deputy Minister Bui The Duy at the working session

Deputy Minister Bui The Duy and Minister Alioune Sall agreed to promote cooperation between the two sides and deploy working groups between the two ministries to promote the concretization of the discussion results during the working session, focusing initially on issues of developing telecommunications infrastructure and services, digital infrastructure, digital transformation, developing digital human resources and connecting the innovation ecosystems of the two countries to promote Vietnam's strengths and experiences and support the realization of Senegal's New Deal Technologuiqe Strategy.

Deputy Minister Bui The Duy invited Minister Alioune Sall to visit Vietnam to continue exchanging and sharing experiences in developing telecommunications infrastructure, digital infrastructure and national digital transformation, in parallel with developing human resources for Senegal and connecting the innovation ecosystems of the two countries, while promoting specific cooperation initiatives between the two countries.

Senegal is a West African country on the Atlantic coast, with Dakar as its capital and a population of about 18 million. Known for its political stability, Senegal is a key member of CEDEAO, UEMOA and the African Union, aiming for digital economic development and comprehensive digital transformation. Senegal is promoting digital transformation with the New Deal Technologique 2034 Strategy, investing about 1.7 billion USD, aiming to achieve 95% internet coverage and create 150,000 technology jobs, supporting 500 startups by 2034. Telecommunications infrastructure is very developed compared to the region, over 50% of the population uses the Internet; fiber and 4G networks are widely used, 5G is being piloted. The Government has digitized multiple public platforms (administrative procedures, e-ID, e-signatures) and trained digital staff, but about 71% of organizations still experience unstable connections, especially in remote and rural areas./.