Construction of Africa’s first-of-a-kind digital village begins in Ratoma, Guinea
The construction of Africa’s first-of-a-kind digital village has begun in Ratoma, Guinea.
Recently, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Kipé, within the premises of the Ratoma Vocational Training Centre to mark the start of the project. The ceremony was attended by the Secretary-General of the Presidency, the Chief of Staff, government officials, teachers, and students of the centre.
The facility will be built on an area of 46,707.12 m2 at an investment of US$ 14.6 million. The project will be financed by the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT) and the National Telecommunications and Digital Universal Service Agency (ANSUTEN). The National Development Budget (BND) will also contribute to the funding.
Upon completion, the digital village in Ratoma will have four academic and one administrative blocks. It will also feature two buildings that will house students, an amphitheatre, a library, a teachers’ residence, and a sports centre. Additionally, the development will comprise secondary buildings, external landscaping and roads, and miscellaneous networks (VRD).
Expectations for the digital village in Ratoma
According to Vocational Minister Alpha Bacar Barry, it will offer ongoing ICT training from primary school through to the university level. In addition to the education centre, the village will also serve as a digital entrepreneurship centre and a research & development centre.
More importantly, the digital village project in Ratoma will stimulate the development of the digital sector and train a generation of Guinean talent capable of meeting the challenges of technological innovation.
Furthermore, the development will draw the country closer to meeting its goal of creating a generation of digital champions. This will enable it to fully capitalize on the global digital economy for growth by 2030.
