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 said this during a virtual pre-conference dialogue organised by the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa.
The meeting was organised to herald the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, scheduled to hold in Tangier, Morocco, from March 28 to April 3.
According to the director, innovation and digital transformation are now critical drivers of economic growth globally.
Diop said Africa and the West African sub-region must leverage innovation, data systems and emerging technologies to accelerate structural transformation and sustainable development.
She said the region had recorded significant progress in digital connectivity in recent years.
According to her, access to third-generation mobile networks in Africa increased from 54 per cent in 2015 to 86 per cent in 2024.
She added that West Africa recorded about 85.9 per cent connectivity within the same period.
Diop said Africa’s internet economy was projected to reach 180 billion dollars by 2025, representing about 5.2 per cent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The ECA director added that the figure could grow to about 712 billion dollars, representing 8.5 per cent of GDP by 2050.
She said frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence were already transforming production systems, trade logistics, governance and service delivery.
Diop said the ECA remained committed to supporting member states in leveraging digital transformation to drive economic growth and development.
She said that the organisation was also supporting policy reforms in areas such as tax systems, digital governance, intra-African trade and innovative financing.
According to her, these interventions are anchored on the United Nations Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024.
Also speaking, Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts, Joseph Samah, said innovation and frontier technologies were essential to achieving structural transformation in West Africa.
Samah said in spite periods of strong economic growth in Africa over the past two decades, many economies remained dependent on primary commodities.
He said that productivity growth, industrial diversification and technological capabilities in the region remained limited.
According to him, frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics and robotics offer opportunities to transform production systems and improve governance.
Samah said data had also become a strategic asset for evidence-based policymaking and improved public service delivery.
He said the dialogue provided a platform for countries to share experiences and identify policy options for accelerating innovation-led growth.
Samah urged participants to actively contribute ideas and recommendations 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.”
