A Catalan delegation travels to Senegal to support the development of the country’s first Living Labs

The visit, composed of representatives from the ACCD, the Government Delegation to West Africa, i2CAT and the FDSUT, reinforces their commitment to a cooperation model based on digital social innovation with local communities

Representatives from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD), the Delegation of the Government to West Africa, and i2CAT, accompanied by members of the Fonds de Développement du Service Universel des Télécommunications (FDSUT), visited the Living Labs of Dangalma, Kaolack, and Ziguinchor in Senegal this week to assess the progress of ongoing projects and their impact on local communities.

The visit is part of the initiative to create a National Network of Living Labs in Senegal, driven by ACCD, FDSUT, and supported by i2CAT’s technological and methodological collaboration. This initiative is part of a shared strategy to promote a new model of international cooperation based on open innovation and the use of advanced technologies as tools for digital and economic transformation in rural and semi-urban areas.

The Catalan delegation included the Director of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, Vicenç Margalef; the Government Delegate to West Africa, Javier Calderón; the deputy director of i2CAT, Artur Serra; the Director of i2CAT’s Digital Society Tecnologies research group, Marta Martorell; and the innovation project manager, Viviana Pérez. The delegation was joined by National Coordinator of the Living Labs in Senegal, Aissata Ly, and the President of the Scientific Committee, Karim Sy, which oversees the strategic monitoring of locally identified challenges.

Innovation applied to cooperation

The Living Labs network in Dangalma, Kaolack, and Ziguinchor provides spaces for experimentation, entrepreneurship, digital social innovation and community empowerment in addressing local challenges. The visit offered the opportunity to gather insights from the field and strengthen institutional ties between the involved actors, as well as foster synergies between Catalan and Senegalese stakeholders.

In Dangalma, the city’s mayor, Oumar Kasse, and Professor Cheikh Ndiaye presented the main outcomes of the projects, co-created with the community following the Living Lab methodology, which promotes collaboration between public administration, citizens, businesses, and knowledge centers. At the Kaolack Living Lab, located in the city’s Chamber of Commerce, manager Iba Seck highlighted how the initiatives being carried out are showing positive results in the community. The Scientific Committee’s work in regularly monitoring and following up on key local challenges in collaboration with citizens and socioeconomic actors was also emphasized. In Ziguinchor, work is underway on the future digital social transformation center at the Assane Seck University campus. The Ziguinchor Living Lab aims to become an open innovation space and a regional benchmark.

We concluded our visit with the Living Labs Scientific Committee meeting, reviewing progress and setting priorities. FDSUT’s director, Ndeye Fatou Ndiaye Diop-Blondin, presented the New Deal Technologique, a national plan for digital and social transformation, alongside UNDP and UNICEF Senegal, who shared insights on inclusive innovation.

Through this initiative, i2CAT reaffirms its commitment to promoting a cooperative innovation model that supports sustainable development and innovation focused on people’s well-being.