Côte d'Ivoire/Artificial intelligence for Ivorian tourism: 40 start-ups and agents trained to meet tomorrow's challenges

From October 21 to 25, 2024, the Ivorian-Korean Alassane Ouattara Sports, Culture and ICT Promotion Center in Abidjan hosted a training workshop (Bootcamp) focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in tourism and leisure promotion.

Organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, through the Direction de l'informatique, de la digitalisation et du développement des startups (DIDS), this eventnement aimed to equip entrepreneurs and startups in the sector with the tools they need to integrate AI into their projects, thereby fostering competitiveness and innovation.

The workshop brought together some thirty private operators involved in the digital promotion of the Ivorian destination, as well as a dozen government officials.

The aim: to make artificial intelligence a strategic asset to boost the attractiveness of the Sublime Côte d'Ivoire.

At the opening, Dr Jean-Marie Atta Kouacou, Cabinet Director and representative of the Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Siandou Fofana, highlighted the issues and challenges that AI represents for the tourism and leisure ecosystem. He pointed out that, according to the World Economic Forum, artificial intelligence could replace 85 million jobs by 2025. For Côte d'Ivoire, this technology is important to ensure that the tourism sector adapts to the new demands of competitiveness and innovation.

"You, dear entrepreneurs and start-ups, are the architects of this transformation. You are the ones who will design innovative solutions, develop intelligent services and products, and make a significant contribution to our country's economic development", he declared.

He encouraged participants to seize this opportunity to make artificial intelligence a lever for development in their businesses.

The workshop, led by experts such as Jean Patrick Ehouman, a specialist in artificial intelligence, offered a rich learning environment with interactive sessions, brainstorming, theoretical and practical courses, as well as personalized coaching sessions.

Participants were thus able to strengthen their AI skills and understand how this technology could transform the tourism and leisure sector while creating new business opportunities.

Christian Bohouman, Director of IT, Digitization and Startup Development at the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, was delighted with the success of the initiative. He praised Minister Siandou Fofana's vision, centered on the national "Sublime Côte d'Ivoire" strategy, which emphasizes innovation to keep the sector competitive and attractive.

"The future of Ivorian tourism rests on your agility, creativity and ability to exploit new technologies", he added, addressing the participants, urging them to continue their training and continually innovate.

The workshop concluded with the presentation of certificates and attestations, with a word from Ms. Malan of the Akendewa incubator, inviting participants to share the knowledge they had acquired. According to Christian Bohouman, "tomorrow's illiterate will be those who don't know how to use artificial intelligence effectively".

Source: www.fratmat.info/article/