ECOWAS Digital Observatory

The establishment of a single digital market is a key priority for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aimed at deepening regional integration, fostering growth, promoting inclusion, and ensuring sustainable development. Accurate, relevant, and valuable data indicators are essential for measuring the progress and impact of digital technologies in the ECOWAS region. These indicators encompass the internet, broadband infrastructure, mobile and fixed network coverage, backbone infrastructure and associated metrics such as value creation, employment, and digital inclusion. In this context, the Commission has committed to measuring the progress of the digital economy in the region, with the support of the National Correspondents for Indicators (NCIs), who are responsible for collecting national indicators for the ECOWAS Digital Observatory (ECODOB). The ECOWAS Digital Observatory (ECODOB): Management and Information System for Telecommunications/ICT, used to track the development, trends, and performance of the telecommunications and postal sectors in West Africa to support the establishment of a single digital market in the region. The single digital market in West Africa is one of the priorities of ECOWAS and African Union integration, and that the construction of this single market depends heavily, among other things, on the ability to meet the challenge of the availability of statistical data and their relevance. To this end, ECOWAS collects specific and measurable indicators, to ensure the availability and accessibility of data relating to the telecommunications and information and communication technology (ICT) sector, which provide trends in our sub-region. These data are of paramount importance for decision-making in telecommunication/ICT sectors in West Africa, but also for attracting the private sector and development partners to our sub-region. Accurate and reliable standardised set of indicators also gives useful data on potential within the West African ICT industry for governments, and can be utilised to attract funders, partners, and the private sector to the region. However, the ECOWAS Digital Observatory (ECODOB) encompasses a cross section of indicators required for the ongoing digital transformation in the region including indicators on Telecommunications/ICT, Post, and Roaming. The platform will also integrate progressively indicators on the various services of the digital economy and postal services (Cyber, e-government indicators and generally ICT indicators). The platform’s dependability requires frequent updates with accurate information from Member States.

• Effective management of the telecom and postal database, including Telecom and pots statistics
• Continuous harmonization of ITU Telecom/ICT and UPU indicators with ECOWAS indicators
• To monitor the efficient transmission of information from the National Correspondent for Indicators (NCIs)
• To provide support service and direct assistance to the National Correspondent for Indicators (NCIs)
• Survey and Mapping of Telecom/ICT and postal infrastructures, GIS Analysis of ECOWAS Member States Telecommunication and Postal environment
• Be responsible for documentation concerning the National Correspondent for Indicators (NCIs) interface, reporting and publications
• Monitoring of the availability of the GSM transmission medium