ABIDJAN:Monday October 24, the Minister of Tourism, Siandou Fofana, initialed a technical cooperation framework agreement with Dr. Thierry Wandji, CEO of Cybastion. This is a quest to achieve the continental leadership objectives of the National Tourism Development Strategy. With this, the Ivorian tourist destination reaffirms its ambition to be at the same level in the Tourism 3.0 paradigms to boost its attractiveness.
With the objectives and challenges of digital transformation and promotion of the recreational tourism ecosystem in Ivory Coast, the contract between the Ivorian Government and the American company aims to strengthen the attractiveness of the Ivory Coast destination. This will improve the competitiveness of the Ivorian tourism sector and develop good practices to international standards in Ivorian tourism.
In her introductory speech, Ms. Leila N'Diaye, Senior Vice President, Business Strategy and Government Affairs of Cybastion, highlighted that "The desired impact of the contract was to unlock the productivity potential of the economy, while creating the conditions for the emergence of a digital economy, through the digitalization of its services through Cybastion's expertise."
Minister Siandou Fofana, Ivorian Minister of Tourism and President of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Regional Commission for Africa of the United Nations specialized agency, said:
“this partnership is in line with the spirit and letter of the theme “Rethinking tourism” that the global tourism authority places at the center of its concerns. This strategic pact must provide the Ivorian destination with a real incubator, capable of supporting the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” strategy.”
Minister Siandou Fofana, Ivorian Minister of Tourism
According to the vision of the Minister of Tourism, there is an undeniable opportunity to bring out promotional concepts, software solutions, digital applications, etc., which may surprise more than one foreign tourist. Thus, if the Ivorian destination wants to consolidate its leadership and its long-term ambitions, to be among the Top 5 African destinations with 5 million tourists by 2025, it will also have to be a regional digital tourism hub. The Internet is now the reference for preparing trips and excursions, putting the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” on board the digital train would allow it to capitalize on the achievements of the Web.”
“Our mission is to support African countries in their projects to digitalize government services and provide them with cutting-edge infrastructure to secure their networks and train their executives. We will provide digital solutions adapted to the needs of the Ivorian tourism sector. This framework agreement sets the tone for future commitments in line with the digitalization strategy of the Ivorian government, of which we are happy to be part.”
CEO of Cybastion, Dr. Thierry Wandji
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of representatives of the United States Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire and members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Côte d'Ivoire. This signing is part of commercial cooperation efforts between Ivory Coast and the United States to promote digital transformation.
Author: Emana Shunnom is a Senior Policy Manager at Cybastion and has extensive experience working with the federal government of Nigeria and the United States. In her role, she leads projects at the intersection of policy, technology and government relations and manages communications and outreach efforts for Cybastion's business strategy and government affairs department.
