Côte d’Ivoire: government moves to streamline digital public services

The Minister for Digital Transition and Technological Innovation, Djibril Ouattara, called for better coordination of the State’s digital initiatives during the closing ceremony, held on Friday, September 4, 2026, in Abidjan, of the national workshop on prioritizing digital public services.

Held over two days, the workshop reviewed 140 public services out of the 620 identified across ministries and institutions. According to Nongolougo Soro, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Company (SNDI), 59 high-impact services were selected as priorities. Ten “quick wins” are also expected to be implemented by the end of 2026, including diploma authentication, digital proof of life for pensioners, an electronic patient record, and a digital mailbox.

The discussions also identified five priority shared infrastructures: digital identity, data exchange, a single payment gateway, trust services, and reference registries. The objective is notably to reduce the fragmentation of platforms and promote interoperability among public-sector systems.

According to the SNDI Director General, this approach aims to address difficulties arising from the fragmentation of platforms and the lack of harmonized use of digital identity. He stressed the need for a single portal through which citizens can access the various digital public services.

Speaking in turn, Minister Djibril Ouattara described governance as the “number one priority” of the digital transformation. He announced the relaunch of the National Digital Council (“CN Digit”), chaired by the Prime Minister, with an interministerial committee and an executive secretariat responsible for monitoring implementation. Three draft decrees are being considered to strengthen this framework, including one concerning the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) within ministries.

The minister also called for lessons to be learned from previous digital projects in order to better align investments with the actual needs of public administrations and citizens. “We can do better by working together,” he said.

The government aims to coordinate 700 digital public services over the next three years and achieve a “zero-paper” administration by 2030. The preparation of a digital “compact” with the World Bank and a financing mobilization roundtable scheduled for December 2026 are expected to contribute to achieving these objectives.

Djibril Ouattara also encouraged local companies and talent to take part in this transformation, particularly through the IvoirTech Next15, IvoirTech Skill Up and GovTechLab programs, with the aim of strengthening local content and promoting the development of Ivorian digital solutions.