Réunion's Conseillers Numériques — 47,275 People Helped, Then a National Budget Cut

Under France's national "Conseiller Numérique France Services" scheme, 60 digital-inclusion mediators (conseillers numériques) were deployed across Réunion. Between 2021 and 2025 they delivered 85,200 individual support sessions to 47,275 distinct beneficiaries, against an estimated 250,000 or more Réunionnais affected by digital exclusion.
Self-reported outcomes were strong: 97% of participants said they had progressed in digital skills, and 93% said they could complete digital tasks they previously could not. The most vulnerable users needed an average of 12 sessions to build confidence.
In 2025, the scheme faced a national funding crisis: the initial Finance Bill proposed cutting the programme's overall budget from €62 million to €27 million — a cut of more than 56% — threatening an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 advisor positions nationwide. Parliamentary amendments ultimately raised the final 2025 envelope to roughly €40 million, still a substantial real-terms reduction.
The budget crisis was a national French policy event rather than a failure specific to Réunion, but it directly threatens the continuity of the island's 60-advisor mediator network, which local commentators and the SOLIDARNUM/CNSP network publicly criticised as risking four years of investment.

Read the full analysis: https://www.temoignages.re/developpement/education-formation/un-recul-incomprehensible-pour-l-inclusion-numerique-des-reunionnais