Senegal’s President Macky Sall has asked the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy to implement an urgent plan to achieve nationwide mobile network coverage ‘as soon as possible’, local news agency APS reports. Chairing a weekly cabinet meeting on 15 March, President Sall ordered efforts to ‘improve national telephone coverage and accelerate the digital development of the territory’ should be made in coordination with telecom operators and the national programme to promote economic growth and living conditions in border areas (Programme d’urgence de modernisation des axes et territoires frontaliers, PUMA). Given the demands and challenges it faces, the telecoms minister was also ordered to assess the Universal Service Fund for Telecommunications’ (FDSUT’s) activities and resources.
Improving access to telecom services, particularly broadband and mobile payment services, plays a key role in the government’s ‘Digital Senegal 2025’ strategic plan for the digital transformation of several sectors including health and education, as well as the wider ‘Emerging Senegal’ economic development plan.