Launch of a new IMT – Sup de Co Dakar Bachelor’s Degree at the Franco-Senegalese campus

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In October 2019, Institut Mines-Télécom and its partner SUP de CO Dakar are launching a new training program dedicated to innovation and digital technology in Dakar.

This program is part of the Franco-Senegalese Campus, an initiative of President Emmanuel Macron and President Macky Sall, aimed at creating innovative training courses developed jointly by French and Senegalese higher education institutions.

 

A Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Technology

The IMT teams have chosen to partner with Sup de Co Group, one of West Africa’s finest management schools, to offer a 3-year Bachelor’s program entitled “Innovation, Management, Digital Technologies“. This post-secondary school vocational course in Dakar is intended to train the qualified middle managers that Africa needs to support the digital transformation of its economy. The proposed training therefore has a regional focus.

Following their training, graduates will have solid skills in technology and management. These dual operational skills will also allow those who wish to continue their studies to complete a Master’s degree in management at an engineering school, for example.

The training will take place on the SUP de CO campus in Dakar at the IMT Edulab, a 130m2 adaptable workspace that fosters collaborative work and innovative teaching methods.

Two application periods are scheduled for the end of August and beginning of October for the “Innovation, Management, Digital Technologies” Bachelor, set to begin on 21 October 2019. AFD, the World Bank and several French companies are partnering with IMT’s initiatives in Dakar and elsewhere in Africa.

 

IMT in Africa

Institut Mines-Télécom is a prominent player in African growth. It has been present on the continent since 2017, notably in Côte d’Ivoire with IMT Atlantique, in partnership with the ESATIC (African School of Information and Communication Technologies). Ecole des Mines Saint-Etienne is also partnering the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INPHB) in Yamoussoukro and Abidjan. At the beginning of 2018, alongside the Global Partnership for Education in Dakar, co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron, IMT trained some fifteen African fabmanagers to independently lead its MOOC on “Introduction to Digital Manufacturing”. This initiative led to the creation of a francophone network of West African fablabs.

It Is in Senegal, a country with great potential, that IMT has chosen to pursue its development in Africa through its strategic plan. As one of the very first stakeholders in the Franco-Senegalese Campus, the steering committee of which was co-chaired on June 11 in Dakar by Frédérique Vidal, French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, IMT has launched training programs in Senegal in response to the needs of companies located in the country, including French companies.

 

Africa, Significant Potential

Africa represents a promising market due to its population growth. In 2014, the number of African students was estimated at 5 million. In 2030, the continent will account for 15 million more (out of 60 million new students at the global level) and will therefore be home to the world’s largest pool of students.

In addition, digital technology accounts for a growing share of African economies and is transforming the continent, with an explosion in the use of mobile networks (mobile financial transactions, e-commerce, etc.) and the large-scale introduction of digital technology in the public sector. According to a study conducted by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), the number of mobile phone users on the African continent is the highest in the world, with 772 million people. According to GSMA, 49% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa will have a smartphone by 2020.

Senegal, one of the most active countries in Western Africa in the area of digital technology, boasts well-developed network and telecommunications infrastructure. In 2016, the country developed the “Digital Senegal 2025” plan based on the strategies defined in the ‘Emerging Senegal Plan’ which sets out Senegal’s ambition to maintain its position as a leading country in African innovation.