African Leadership University’s Digital Transformation Team Visited Estonia

A group of 20 digital transformation experts from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana and Sierra Leone visited Estonia to gain inspiration and knowledge for implementing digital transformation agendas in their countries. The visit was organised by the African Leadership University (ALU) under the Public Sector Fellowship program. ALU is based in Rwanda and Mauritius, with a mission to educate at least three million innovative leaders who will tackle Africa’s significant challenges. 

“This is a Public Sector Fellowship that brings together experts from multiple African countries who are leading digital transformation efforts,” said John Kimani,  the Director of Growth and Strategy at ALU. “We think it’s really important that the fellows are able to learn from each other and to see what is working in other countries that can be adapted to their own countries.”

According to Kimani, Estonia is the world’s most advanced digital society. “By coming to Estonia, we wanted our fellows to experience how a digital society operates.”

Visiting the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), the ALU fellows learned about ESTDEV’s cooperation priorities and ongoing projects with its African partners. Of particular interest was the Digital Explorers II project, a new regional initiative, as it aims to reduce unemployment among young ICT talent in Kenya, Nigeria and Armenia by increasing the quality of ICT education and providing opportunities for work experience within the European Union

John Kimani underlined the importance of the visit as a platform for knowledge exchange and inspiration, and a foundation for current and future partnerships.

“Cooperation with Africa is very important for ESTDEV and it was a great pleasure to see such a diverse African delegation in Estonia and to listen to their experiences,” commented Nelli Timm, ESTDEV’s Regional Advisor for Africa.