Senegal: Sonatel and Huawei join forces for the digital transformation of education
Senegal is speeding up its digital transformation strategy in the education sector. A memorandum of understanding was recently signed between the government, telecom operator Sonatel (Orange), and Chinese tech giant Huawei, on the sidelines of the 2025 World Smart Education Conference in Beijing. This agreement aims to modernize Senegal’s education system through the deployment of digital teaching tools, the development of suitable infrastructure, and talent training.
Driven by the Minister of National Education, Moustapha Mamba Guirassy, this partnership falls within the framework of the Digital Strategy for Education 2025–2029, with a budget of 130 billion CFA francs (about 232 million USD). The goal is clear: to fully integrate artificial intelligence and digital tools into classrooms while promoting inclusive education, including in remote areas.
This collaboration with major players in telecommunications and digital technology reflects the Senegalese authorities’ determination to bridge the gap in adapting to technological challenges. It follows several initiatives, including the signing of an agreement with the educational channel Télé-École to develop tailored digital content, and the launch in March of a training program on digital skills and AI for 105.000 teachers and administrative staff.
However, despite these promising advances, the road ahead remains long. Senegal’s education system still faces several challenges: curricula that are sometimes ill-suited to national realities, an insufficient number of teachers, limited infrastructure in the face of a growing student population, and a high dropout rate.
While the memorandum of understanding marks an important symbolic step, its effective implementation will depend on the upcoming signing of a formal agreement and the operational rollout of the announced projects. In a context where UNESCO strongly encourages the integration of ICT in education, Senegal seems determined to embrace digital modernity to train the talents of tomorrow. The challenge now is to turn commitments into tangible achievements.
