From Tallinn to Abidjan, a continental ambition is taking shape. Indeed, when an African Digital Minister sets down his bags in Tallinn, it is not a simple diplomatic trip. It is a direct confrontation with the future. Ranked among the very first nations in terms of cyber governance by the United Nations, Estonia has built in a few decades an entirely digital State, where 99% of public services are accessible online and where more than 130 use cases of artificial intelligence are integrated into the administration.

It is in this avant-garde framework that the Minister of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation, Djibril Ouattara, participated in the Europe-East Africa session dedicated to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), a few days ago.He was able to interact with many Estonian digital players and discover the practices that make this country a world reference in digitalization. During his speech, the Minister recalled a founding principle: digital transformation is based on connected, reliable and interoperable infrastructures, serving citizens, businesses and administrations. Faced with the continent's persistent challenges, including regulatory fragmentation, inequalities of access and weak cross-border systems, he called for adapted regional IPRs capable of strengthening integration between African states.

At a time when the World Bank is investing $266.5 million for a single digital market in West Africa, Minister Ouattara's vision is part of an irreversible continental dynamic. Estonia has proven that a state can reinvent itself digitally. Africa has now chosen to write its own version.