An event honouring the development of ICTs and knowledge societies in Senegal was held in Dakar, December 11, 2015. The event was chaired by Mr. Abdoul Kane Yaya, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of Senegal and Mr. Jerome Morrissey, CEO of the Global E-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI). The ceremony, which took place at the Novotel hotel in Dakar officially awarded certificates to the senior civil servants and officers from various Senegalese ministries and universities who have successfully completed the African leadership in ICT and Knowledge Society Development (ALICT) programme. Twenty-six participants followed the programme in 2015. A special prize was also awarded to the best ALICT student for Senegal, Roger Marcelin Faye, Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Dakar’s University Cheikh Anta Diop. The event also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by GESCI’s CEO and the CEO of the Ecole supérieure multinationale des télécommunications (ESMT), Mr. Mohamadou A. Saibou. The partnership between GESCI and ESMT will facilitate the delivery of the ALICT program to other state bodies and West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Togo and Guinea Conakry. Senegal’s Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) recognizes the need to skill leaders with a thorough understanding of the key elements needed to develop knowledge society.It is formulating a strategy that will specifically address the digital transformation of sectors, including education and training, health and agriculture. Read Press Release For more information, Contact Mr. Senthil Kumar, Programme Manager, ALICT program, Eastern and Western Africa, GESCI, senthil.kumar@gesci.org or Dr. Tarek Chehidi, Senior Programme Specialist, Francophone Africa and North Africa, GESCI, tarek.chehidi@gesci.org