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The TIC and Citizen Initiative (ITICC) awarded the Pierre-Ouédraogo Digital Leadership Award at a ceremony in Ouagadougou. The event took place on July 13, 2024, the first anniversary of the death of Colonel Pierre Ouédraogo, a pioneer of digital integration in Burkina Faso and Africa. The award ceremony was presided over by Dr. Aminata Zerbo/Sabané, Minister of Digital Transformation, Posts and Electronic Communications.
Burkina Faso took its first steps with the Internet in the late 1990s, and since then the country has continued to digitize many services to improve the well-being of its citizens. This digitalization process has been strongly influenced by the contribution of the sons of the nation, including Colonel Pierre Ouédraogo, friend of former President Thomas Sankara and manager of digital projects and initiatives for more than 30 years. In order to pay tribute to the man who passed away on July 13, 2023 and to promote excellence in digital technologies, the association “TIC Initiatives and Citizens” has established the Pierre-Ouédraogo Digital Leadership Award, which will be presented on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
The Minister in charge of Digital Transformation, Dr. Aminata Zerbo/Sabané, presided over the launch ceremony and welcomed the creation of the award, which not only pays tribute to the “Father of the Internet in Burkina Faso”, but also rewards individuals or initiatives for their commitment to unleashing the potential of information and communications technologies in support of development. “The initiative to establish the Pierre Ouédraogo Award is not only to pay tribute to him, but also to continue his legacy and foster excellence. Pierre Ouédraogo is Burkinabe, but his work transcends our borders. He is a citizen of the world. He participated in all the struggles to establish the Internet in my country and to establish Internet organizations at the African level,” welcomed the Minister of Digital Transformation, Posts and Electronic Communications.
Applications for the first Pierre-Ouédraogo Prize are now open and accepted online at prixpo.ittic.bf.
The winner will receive 5 million CFA francs and a crystal globe engraved with the certification.
Hadja Sanon/Ouattara, President of ITICC, said that the competition will involve identifying and rewarding personalities or initiatives that promote the inclusion of people through digital technologies, as well as rewarding outstanding personalities in the fields of digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, Internet governance and digital artificial intelligence, among others. According to him, the Pierre Ouedraogo Award Committee consists of a steering committee and a jury.
The family of Pierre Ouédraogo, present at the ceremony, welcomed the state’s recognition of the former army colonel. “The family of Colonel Pierre Ouédraogo is very honored by the creation of this award, which will forever honor his memory. The question of the implementation of digital technologies was a very important one for him… He often repeated that Africa missed the industrial revolution, but it should not miss the digital revolution,” revealed the deceased’s son, Wendkuni Charles Christian Ouédraogo, deputy president of the Burkina Faso Association of Architects.
The Pierre Ouedraogo Prize is awarded every two years. In addition to designating the winner, the Prize will also support training through the award of doctoral research scholarships, mainly for young girls.
As a reminder, Pierre Ouédraogo was awarded the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award in 2012 by the Internet Society.
Lefaso.net
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