Dr. Ralph Elsäßer holds a MSc in Computer Sciences, an MSc in Hydrogeology and a PhD in Development Science. He was team leader for the development of the AU’s continental transformation strategy for digital agriculture, which aims to improve policies and regulations that promote the enabling environment for digitisation in Africa. This strategy is complemented with an implementation plan with 38 budgeted activities. He was part of the GIZ-FAO team for the development of the e-Agriculture Strategy of the Republic of Niger and responsible for budgeting the various activities that form the implementation plan. He is author of several studies on the state of ICT, innovation and trends an Africa and ACP states (ICT4e-Extension, ICT for small-scale irrigation, ICT examples for start-up creation, ICT solutions for the African cotton sector, ICT toolbox for African contract farming professionals, ICT for climate-resilient management of the African livestock sector) and SmartTech solutions for horticulture in ACP countries). His work in water resources and flood risk management further deepened his awareness for climate adoption. His career comprises digital transformation, D4Ag, e-agriculture, e-forestry, smart irrigation management, software architecture and development. In the last 10 years, he has been very active in consulting various sector organisations and the private sector in digital transformation, relating to the various use cases of D4Ag. His modelling and engineering experience, together with his GIS- and EO-background made him part of research teams in innovative projects related to e.g. AI, BigData, blockchain and ML. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, he has work experience from GIZ/EU/WB/MCC digitalisation projects in 25+ African, Caribbean and Asian countries and thus has the knowledge and experience to identify trends, drivers, obstacles and bottlenecks. Hard skills in agriculture, water management, and renewable energy management complement this expertise. He proofed his organisational talent in many global, continental and regional projects as team leader and wrote more than one hundred reports for EuropeAid, World Bank, GIZ, DANIDA, KfW and other organisations. Recent work under Covid 19 restrictions on topics related to the promotion of ICT in Africa has had him conduct hundreds of interviews with a wide variety of interlocutors in Africa and Asia, including UN organizations (FAO, ITU, IFAD, UNESCO, UNCDF). Besides his engagement in the Development context, he also works for the private sector in Europe and the United States and thus has an understanding for emerging technologies and innovations.