Supporting digital resilience in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States

The Covid-19 crisis has shown the crucial importance of digital technologies in Europe as well as in the member countries of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). Digital technologies have helped deal with lockdown, movement restrictions, curfews, shutdowns of public services and educational institutions. We have consulted doctors on our phones. Students have taken courses online. Big and small companies have had to work and sell online. 

This came with challenges in the OACPS countries. The connectivity is still not inclusive enough today. The right digital tools, designed for local users, are not always available. Initiatives and actors have had difficulties coordinating. And the gender digital divide is still ever present, preventing girls and women from accessing opportunities of the digital world.

 

The three objectives of this program are: 

• To strengthen the connectivity of administrations. The program supports the access to connectivity for health centers, health institutions and universities
• To promote the continuity and quality of education and health services. The program supports for instance innovative and efficient e-learning solutions, regional health monitoring systems, and the digital transformation of universities.
• To help small and medium-sized enterprises move towards the digital world. Hand in hand with local and regional partners, e-commerce trainings will notably be provided in West Africa and the Carribbeans.
  
   

The program starts with the WeHubit Edtech call for innovators focusing on EdTech. If you are addressing the challenges that were created or accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of continuity and quality of public education services. Find more information and apply on the official website.

Wehubit is a multi-country competitive fund, specifically aimed at identifying and scaling-up digital social innovations. Wehubit looks for digital social innovations that are contributing to the inclusion of vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, refugees, people with disabilities and others.

 

Agence Française de développement (AFD) and the Belgian Cooperation ENABEL. Those two European actors have a proven experience in digital development and a large combined geographical reach with AFD offices in 110 countries and ENABEL in 14 countries.

ENABEL and AFD are also among the five founding members of the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub platform. 

You want to know more about the program? You are interested in building digital resilience for health and education services, or for MSMEs? Leave us your mail!