The increasing digitalization dynamics of the global economy have led the Government to adopt a clear vision for the development of the digital economy in Côte d'Ivoire, aiming to make it a driver of growth. The implementation of this vision should promote the widespread use of digital technology, improve the productivity of administrations and businesses, and create a significant volume of direct and indirect jobs.
Thus, the operationalization of the national digital development strategy is based on seven (07) pillars:
- Digital Infrastructures: Deploy a digital infrastructure that allows affordable and inclusive access to high and very high-speed digital services for all across the national territory.
- Digital Services: Establish a connected administration that serves all citizens and businesses and disseminate inclusive digital services in priority economic sectors.
- Digital Financial Services: Increase the contribution of digital financial services to the financial inclusion of populations and the development of e-commerce.
- Digital Skills: Develop digital skills through training of the human capital necessary for the growth of the Ivorian digital economy and by popularizing digital tools among the population.
- Business Environment in the Digital Sector: Create a business environment conducive to investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the digital economy.
- Innovation: Promote a digital industry conducive to innovation and value creation.
- Cybersecurity: Strengthen cybersecurity by securing technical infrastructures to ensure their availability and guarantee the integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity of data circulating in the Ivorian cyberspace.
Furthermore, taking into account the evolution of the digital ecosystem, the State of Côte d'Ivoire reformed the telecommunications sector in 2012, which resulted in the adoption of new legislation and a reorganization of the sector. Thus, Ordinance No. 2012-293 of March 21, 2012, relating to Telecommunications/ICT, establishes the creation of three (3) bodies: the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications/ICT of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI), the Ivorian Agency for the Management of Radio Frequencies (AIGF), and the National Agency for the Universal Telecommunications Service (ANSUT).
ARTCI
The Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications/ICT of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI), an independent administrative authority, has been entrusted with the mission of regulating the telecommunications/ICT sector and the postal sector, managing electronic transactions, ensuring the security of networks and information systems; protecting personal data; managing domain names and internet addresses. The main missions of ARTCI are:
- to enforce the laws and regulations governing the Telecommunications/ICT sector;
- to encourage the development of Telecommunications/ICT at the national and regional levels;
- to regulate competition in collaboration with the authorities responsible for competition regulation;
- to monitor compliance with the obligations of operators and service providers;
- to process license applications, prepare and implement licensing procedures through calls for tenders;
- to issue general authorizations;
- to receive and process declarations;
- to establish indicators and quality service and performance standards for the provision of Telecommunications/ICT services and to monitor compliance;
- to issue and control approvals, define mandatory specifications, and certify terminal equipment;
- to develop accounting requirements and pricing principles regarding interconnection and pricing policy;
- to know and resolve, in the first instance, disputes in the sector;
- to protect the interests of consumers, operators, and service providers by taking all measures necessary to ensure effective, fair, and sustainable competition;
- to participate in the development of Côte d'Ivoire's position in international Telecommunications/ICT organizations;
- to ensure the handling of all issues related to the protection of consumer interests, including establishing an appropriate mechanism for receiving consumer complaints and related investigations concerning Telecommunications/ICT services, and, where appropriate, submitting such complaints to the appropriate bodies.
AIGF
The Ivorian Agency for the Management of Radio Frequencies (AIGF) is a state-owned company responsible for managing radio frequencies, which are rare resources that are part of the public domain of the State. In this capacity, its main missions are:
- to ensure the planning, allocation, and control of radio frequencies while considering the needs of administrations and authorities allocating radio frequencies;
- to establish the national frequency table;
- to monitor the use of frequencies in accordance with the licenses and authorizations granted, the records of the frequency register, and to notify the allocators of any anomalies found;
- to define a method for documenting and controlling the frequency spectrum compatible with that defined by similar bodies in the ECOWAS region;
- to conduct investigations, ascertain violations, and seize equipment at its initiative or at the request of the allocators;
- to maintain control equipment; to authorize and coordinate the establishment of radio stations of all kinds on national territory, in order to ensure the best possible use of available sites and to ensure their compliance with national and international regulations in force;
- to establish and keep updated the list of identification codes of maritime accounting authorities registered in Côte d'Ivoire in connection with the authorities responsible for Maritime Affairs, in accordance with the provisions of the Radio Regulations;
- to prepare, at the request of the Minister responsible for Telecommunications, Côte d'Ivoire's position in international negotiations on Radiocommunication;
- to contribute to the exercise of the State's missions in terms of defense and public security, in relation to the field of radiocommunication.
ANSUT
The National Agency for the Universal Telecommunications Service (ANSUT) is a state-owned company aimed at providing citizens, businesses, and administrations with a universal telecommunications service and contributing to the development of a digital economy in Côte d'Ivoire. In the context of its missions, ANSUT is responsible for:
- the development of specifications for Universal Telecommunications-ICT Service programs;
- the financing of Universal Telecommunications-ICT Service programs;
- the implementation of Universal Telecommunications-ICT Service programs;
- the management of investment operations financed by the State in the field of Telecommunications-ICT;
- the implementation, on behalf of the State, of the maintenance, management, and rehabilitation of the real estate assets serving as the operational framework for the telecommunications-ICT sector.