European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, will officially launch the Digital4Development Hub in the presence of representatives from the five Hub-founding EU member states, under the German EU Council Presidency.
The platform gathers key stakeholders from EU countries, the private sector, civil society, and financial institutions in a ‘Team Europe’ spirit with several objectives.
Ahead of the launch, von der Leyen said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how much our lives depend on digital technologies. With the Digital4Development Hub, Team Europe is building strong ties across the globe to make the digital revolution an opportunity for everyone.”
Complementing the participation of five heads of states (Germany, France, Belgium, Estonia, and Luxembourg), six more EU nations (Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden) already signed the ‘Letter of Intent’ to join the D4D Hub together with public institutions, industry, civil society, and academia.
The ‘African Union-European Union D4D Hub,’ the first operational regional component, will be launched during the ‘High-Level Panel on the European Union–African Union Partnership on Digital Transformation.’ It will operate as a strategic tool to advance multi-stakeholder dialogue, joint partnerships, and investments in the African digital economy.
“The European Union has decided to build back better by dedicating 20 per cent of the EU’s recovery plan to the digital transition. Today’s announcement shows that we share this ambition for a better digital future after the pandemic also with our partners around the world,” said Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton.
“This will help close the global digital divide and grow the digital economies of Europe and Africa together.”
