Arthur Latim: African Countries Must Own Their Digital Solutions
The 2nd Global Digital Forum concluded in Moscow on October 10, with participants seeking ways to maintain technological independence while continuing to work together.
During the forum, delegates from 120 countries not only discussed challenges but also reached cooperation agreements, formalizing them through memorandums and other agreements. One such document was signed by the IT Russia media platform and a company working in data security and digital infrastructure reliability in Uganda. Arthur Latim, a representative of the African company, explained the agreement’s goals and the prospects for digital cooperation between the two countries.
– Our company works in data security and digital infrastructure reliability. We signed an agreement with IT Russia to strengthen cooperation between Russia and Uganda, develop joint technology projects, and create solutions that will benefit future generations. We pay particular attention to young people and the development of digital services.
We have already started working on projects for young professionals. This is especially important for Uganda, where young people make up a significant share of the population. We want to give them opportunities to learn new technologies and take part in developing their own digital products.
For African countries, developing reliable digital infrastructure and ensuring digital sovereignty are essential. This means countries must do more than use ready-made technologies: they must also develop their own digital solutions, own them, and retain control over their data. Cooperation with IT Russia will allow us to exchange experience and pass on knowledge to young professionals.
One of our projects involves training specialists from eight Central African countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, South Sudan, Tanzania, and others. We are also developing a mobile phone that we plan to launch next year. It will be developed in Uganda using Russian technology.
We believe governments should support the creation of homegrown technology solutions that are developed within their countries and remain under their control. We also plan to use blockchain as part of our cooperation. It is important that digital products are not simply created for a particular market, but also remain in the country that developed them, which should retain responsibility for their development and use.
