Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of the Gambia Ousman A. Bah visited the Innovation Lounge at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MOFA-a2i iLab Wednesday.
During his visit to the wing, Minister Bah was briefed about the various Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Operation System components of the Ministry’s ICT/ITES expeditions, said a media release on Thursday.
The minister took interest in the Unified Web Architecture, MyGov application platforms, and the MOFA archives.
He expressed his keen interest in the CSAT, MAT and Neural Networks being developed by the Ministry.
Minister Bah explored various innovative projects under the iLab programme including the central nebulizer system, Jute bicycle, infant incubator, soil testing kits and smart white Cane, amongst others and discussed the possibility of scaling up and commercialisation of innovation from Bangladesh, including the possibility of setting up joint initiatives in telecom, pre-fab and high-tech parks.
During the visit, the two sides discussed the possibility of co-developing solutions particularly aiming at the Western African theatres. Mentionable that Gambia is currently in the process of developing a different version of the MyGov platforms titled eGov with technical collaboration from the ICT-Division and a2i.
The meeting marks a significant step forward in recognising and fostering collaboration and understanding between the two nations in the fields of technology, AI, DPI and digital economy, paving the way for future partnerships and shared successes, MoFA said.
During the visit, the Gambian minister was briefed by the additional foreign secretary for the Middle-East and Africa and the director-general of the ITIT/ICT wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Bah and Director for Digital Economy Loum Lang are on a two-day visit to Bangladesh to attend the SMART Bangladesh Summit on DPI-AI. Ousman Bah spent more than 32 years in the Silicon Valley and took over his ministerial portfolio in 2022.
Rapid identification, digitalization, and the creation of payment gateways and switches remain high on his agenda.