Cotonou, June 24, 2025
Mr. Representative of the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalization of Benin,
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Gates Foundation ,
Mr. Director General of ASIN,
Distinguished institutional, financial, expert and professional partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a source of immense pride for me, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of IIDIA, to speak on this historic day for the official launch of the Regional Laboratory for Innovations and Digital Technologies, here in Cotonou.
Since its creation, IIDIA has set itself the mission of providing concrete support to governments, central banks, regulators and regional institutions in defining and implementing inclusive, sovereign digital solutions that serve the development priorities of African populations.
It is with this in mind that we have mobilized in recent years, with the renewed confidence of our partners and in particular the Gates Foundation , a collective dynamic around Digital Public Goods (DPG) and Digital Public Infrastructures (DPI) in West Africa.
The holding of the regional webinar in July 2023, which brought together more than 300 high-level participants, made it possible to bring out lucid observations as well as concrete strategic avenues:
– the lack of infrastructure dedicated to innovation,
– the absence of structured platforms allowing efforts to be pooled,
– and above all the urgency of creating a stable, technical and institutional regional framework to support the rise of BPNs in the service of States and populations.
It is from this strategic reflection that the ambition of the Regional Laboratory of Innovations and Digital Technologies was born, officially launched today.
Our vision is clear: to make this Laboratory a regional center of excellence, capable of supporting African States in the design, development and implementation of strategic digital solutions, in close synergy with their priorities of sustainable development and social inclusion.
The choice of Benin as the host country for this Laboratory is no accident. It reflects the quality of the reforms undertaken in recent years under the leadership of the Beninese authorities and the strong institutional capacity embodied here by ASIN, a key strategic partner in this initiative.
I would like to pay special tribute to the Director General of ASIN, Mr. Marc André Loko , whose constant commitment, tireless mobilization and exemplary availability were decisive in the realization of this initiative. His daily operational leadership made it possible to complete each stage with rigor and efficiency until this launch that we are celebrating today.
In this dynamic, the project we are presenting today – the Voice-to-Voice Artificial Intelligence Model in the Fon language – perfectly illustrates the type of concrete solutions that this Laboratory is called upon to promote.
This is a very specific challenge, often invisible: that of language barriers which still exclude millions of African citizens from the benefits of digital services.
By enabling populations who are not fluent in French or English to converse directly, in their own language, with remotely accessible digital systems, we are helping to reduce inequalities of access to health, education, public services and financial inclusion.
IIDIA will continue to carry this ambition with consistency and humility, by pursuing its role as a platform for regional and international mobilization, technical consultation, and support for governments in their own digital trajectory.
I would like to express our gratitude here:
– to the Government of Benin and ASIN for their leadership and determined commitment,
– to the Gates Foundation , for its continued financial and strategic support, and for the special attention it pays to this initiative, illustrated today by the presence among us of two eminent representatives of the Foundation, Mesdames Caroline Tioman and Misganaye Demeke , who agreed to make this long trip to be with us on this occasion. I invite you to give them a warm round of applause.
– to the many technical, financial, and institutional partners present today. The project underway today and those to come within this laboratory require a broader mobilization of all. Together, we can expand the Lab ‘s scope of intervention and respond ever more effectively to the growing needs of populations in terms of digital inclusion.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Together, we have the opportunity to build an open, inclusive and sovereign African digital ecosystem, for the benefit of the populations who need it most.
This regional laboratory is now your tool, our collective tool. Its success will depend on the continued spirit of cooperation that unites us today.
Thank you for your presence and your commitment.
