3rd African Rail Digital Congress - Digital: a challenge to boost the railway value chain

CONTEXT

Digital can increase safety, reliability, profitability and the customer experience. Why hold this Congress in Africa?

• Because UIC is convinced that there is a real opportunity to develop rail in Africa,
• Because rail must become (or become again) the backbone of land-based mobility, for both passengers and goods. This is an obvious necessity if we are to adapt to climate change.

Digitization will offer African economies an important means of making considerable progress, both in industry and in services. New technologies will provide innovative solutions for the development of railways, which combine both industry and services. The African Union (AU) has adopted "Agenda 2063" for rail development in Africa. Africa's Integrated Rail Network is a flagship project of Agenda 2063, which aims to integrate Africa physically and economically.

After the 1st African Digital Railway Summit in Cape Town, "Africa: the future digital continent" in 2019, the UIC organized the 2nd African Digital Railway Congress, "Accelerating digital transformation in Africa: what challenges for rail?", in Tunis in 2022.

Digital is a revolution, a challenge for the railway value chain. Digital can increase safety, reliability, profitability and customer experience.

This congress will:

• define the future of digital rail for the Continent;
• bring together rail stakeholders, politicians, industry representatives, rail experts, economists, universities, and digital ecosystems;
• identify major projects to be launched;
• support the coordination of activities aligned with the aspirations of the African Union Commission's (AUC) Agenda 2063 for the rail sector;
• encourage the design and development of a truly African digital rail strategy;
• define the level of maturity of digital rail in Africa.

CONCEPT NOTE

230405_concept_note_3rd_africa_railway_digital_congress_2024_en.pdf

MAIN TOPICS

• Analysis of traffic data for the automatic proposal of optimal transport plans

• Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve safety, train monitoring, predictive maintenance and asset management

• Digital training for skills development in the railway professions

• Barriers to digital development in Africa

PROGRAMME

programme_yaounde_forum_mai_24_v11_-eng.pdf

26 May 2024: Arrival for the technical visit in DOUALA 27 May 2024 morning: Technical visit in DOUALA 27 May 2024 - from 17h00: Official cocktail at the Hilton Hotel in YAOUNDE 28 May 2024: Official opening, exhibition inauguration, plenary session and gala dinner 29 May 2024: Parallel sessions, Workshops/roundtables and closing ceremony

Thursday 30 May 2024 morning:

9h00-15h00: visit of the Nachtigal Dam 9h00-15h00: touristic visit of Yaounde Lunch at the Hilton Hotel

PRESENTATIONS

Session 2: Round table: Digital Transformation, a major lever for Agenda 2063

Mainstreaming Digitalisation in the design and implementation of the African Integrated Railways Network Project (AIRNP), Mr. Amine Idriss ADOUM, Director of Infrastructure, Industrialization, Trade, and Regional Integration (AUDA-NEPAD)

presentation_uic_conf_auda_nepad-2.pdf

Digitalisation and digital risks, Dr. François NGUILLA KOOH, Expert in Digital Risk Management and Cybersecurity Manager

congres_uic_camrail-_kooh-3.pdf

Digital railway maturity in Africa, strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities (SWOT), Prof Khumbulani MPOFU, Board Member,Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

2024_gibelaresearch_mpofu-2.pdf

Current state of rail development, deployment of digital solutions and follow-up to the Tunis congress, Mr. Mohamed BELARBI, Representative of the UIC African Region

uic_region_afrique_mb-2.pdf

Dr. Rachad NASSAR, Global Accounts Director, Smart Transportation BU, HUAWEI - Diamond Sponsor

digital_rail_solution_-_rachad_nassar_-_huawei-2.pdf

Session 3: Round table: Financing digital innovation in African railways

Pr. Georges Bertrand TAMOKWE PIAPTIE, Directeur de l’ESSEC, Douala, Cameroon

2_table_ronde_2_-_tamokwe_-_essec-2.pdf

Mr. Michel EWECK, Expert in digital solutions, CEO of the startup ADWA SARL - Platinum Sponsor 1

1_uic_-_table_ronde_-_adwa_financement_de_l_innovation_numerique-2.pdf

Session 4: Round table: Digital in the rail value chain, beyond Africa

Mr. Christian CHAVANEL, UIC, Rail System Director & Africa Coordinator

240528_-_3rd_african_digital_congress_uic_ch_-2.pdf

Session 5: Digital transformation of networks: what progress has been made?

Eng. Amir ABDULSATTAR, Senior Director, ICT, Ethio-Djibouti Railways, Ethiopia

edr___digital_a_challenge_to_boost_the_railway_value_chain-2.pdf

M. Mohamed KIDOU, Head of the Passenger Digital Department, ONCF, Morocco

3eme_sommet_digital-_projet_expose_br_vf_oncf.pdf

M. Yannick Tchanou, CAMRAIL, Cameroon

presentation_camrail_-_3e_congres_digital-2.pdf

Session 6: Innovative solutions

Mr. Taoufik BOUFAIED, General Director of SNCFT, Tunisia

3rd_digital_congress_2024_v2_sncft-2.pdf

Mr. Mohamed Ali Abd Alraheem,Lybian Railways, Lybia

lybian_railroad_maaa-2.pdf

CAMTEL - Gold sponsor 1

uic_camrail_event_presentation_camtel_v4-2.pdf

PRESS REVIEW

revue_de_presse_du_30_mai_2024-2.pdf

TV news journal

Video Press

PARTNERSHIPS

Sponsorships with the participation of investors. Sponsorship packages available upon request.

PARTICIPANTS

300 participants

LANGUAGES

VENUE

27 MAY 2024, DOUALA, CAMEROON (Technical visit)

28-30 MAY 2024, YAOUNDE CAMEROON (Congress)

Event Venue: Hilton Hotel, Bd du 20 mai, Yaounde, Cameroon

Arrival for the technical visit: Douala International Airport

Arrival for the Congress: Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport

CONTACT

Maria Lafont, lafont at uic.org Christine Hassoun, hassoun at uic.org