The Union for the Mediterranean partnered with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the AfricaMed Business Forum to hold the UfM Conference on Digital Transformation, which focused on the role of digital transformation in promoting green transition and developing enabling digital ecosystems in the UfM region. The Conference was part of the UfM Roadmap on Employment and Labour 2022-2025 and was co-sponsored by the European Union.
The Conference brought together a broad spectrum of partners and stakeholders from both shores of the Euro-Mediterranean region to exchange insights, experiences, and best practices on the current opportunities and challenges with respect to unleashing the full potential of digitalisation in the region. Recommendations emanating from the event will guide future actions on this priority area in the region. Experiences from Albania, Bosnia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Morocco and Spain were shared.
Digital transformation is a game-changer not only for individual economies, but also for the region at large as it can contribute significantly to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the Ministerial Declaration emanating from the 2022 UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour in Marrakech, the member states’ ministers expressed their shared willingness to “explore pathways for accelerating digital transformation as a vehicle for the creation of more decent jobs, economic growth, and an important vector of innovation and creativity.”
And yet, the lack of digital infrastructure and digital skills are major impediments that hinder people from reaping the clear benefits of this transformation. Reverting this is key as the World Economic Forum (WEF) has estimated that 85 million jobs may be displaced by 2025 due to a shift in the division of labour, while 97 million new positions that are more adapted to this situation may emerge. The UfM has, as a result, organised several technical training sessions on digitalisation and e-governance in the Southern Mediterranean in an effort to promote transfer of knowledge in the field.
(UfM)
