Benin is redrawing the outlines of its technology diplomacy across the African continent, with a new bilateral agreement standing as the centerpiece of this strategy. A ministerial delegation for Digital Transformation traveled to Addis Ababa from August 4 to 8 2026 to hold a series of working meetings with Ethiopian authorities. The trip put into practice commitments made in mid July between leaders of both countries on the sidelines of the African Union summit. The mission aimed to bring the two administrations digitalization strategies into dialogue in order to modernize their respective state systems.
The technical sessions held in the Ethiopian capital gave the Beninese side an opportunity to present a full decade of digital reforms carried out from Cotonou. Representatives from Benin highlighted concrete progress achieved through the national public services portal as well as the rollout of a unique trusted identifier issued to citizens. Discussions also covered the architecture behind the country’s national cybersecurity policy and its roadmap for artificial intelligence.
These various initiatives resonate closely with the ambitions carried by Ethiopia’s own Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy, revealing a clear convergence of interests between the two administrations, each pursuing its own path toward digital modernization.
Beyond simply sharing experience, the working groups gathered in Addis Ababa compared their respective approaches to personal data governance and the interoperability of identification systems in detail. Ethiopia, facing significant challenges tied to connecting large portions of its population, is currently developing infrastructure solutions tailored to rural areas, a subject of particular interest to Beninese officials.
While each country moves forward within its own budgetary constraints, sharing source code and regulatory frameworks offers a valuable way to avoid costly mistakes that could otherwise weigh heavily on public finances in either nation.
This emerging cooperation between Cotonou and Addis Ababa reflects a broader trend of shared digital experience among African countries, each seeking to learn from the successes and setbacks of its continental partners in order to accelerate its own digital transformation.