As cybersecurity asserts itself as a pillar of digital sovereignty in West Africa, technology-free zones are taking on a strategic role in safeguarding national ecosystems. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 Cyber Africa Forum, held in late June in Cotonou, Yann-Gabriel N’ZI, Chief Technical Officer at the Village of Information Technology and Biotechnology (VITIB SA), outlined key priorities aimed at positioning Côte d’Ivoire as a resilient digital hub.

Ecofin Agency: Considering cybersecurity's growing economic importance, what are VITIB's top strategic priorities right now?

Yann-Gabriel N’ZI: As a technology-free zone and a showcase for innovation in West Africa, VITIB places cybersecurity at the heart of its structural priorities. It's a key pillar for building digital trust, strengthening economic attractiveness, and safeguarding technological sovereignty for both our ecosystem and Côte d’Ivoire.

Our main strategic priorities in this context revolve around continuously reinforcing our critical infrastructure. This includes developing secure data centers that meet the most demanding international standards. We also highlight the cybersecurity-focused companies already operating within the free zone to foster synergies and local solutions. Finally, we pay close attention to developing human capital by actively supporting training, awareness, and knowledge transfer initiatives in digital security.

Through these actions, VITIB aims to fully play its role as a technological catalyst in West Africa, offering operators an environment that's innovative, secure, and competitive.

EA: Given that the 2025 Cyber Africa Forum is focused on the resilience of digital ecosystems, and VITIB has successfully attracted around 100 companies in Côte d’Ivoire over 20 years, what concrete tools or services do you offer businesses to help them prevent and manage cyberattacks?

YGN: From the outset, our Innovation Village was designed as a secure environment capable of supporting tech companies at every stage of their development. More than just a tech park, VITIB embodies a true ecosystem where companies speak a common language, collaborate actively, and share expertise to grow together.

 Solutions developed by some quickly become growth drivers for others, thereby creating a collective value chain within the zone.

This collaborative dynamic is one of the pillars of our approach. Solutions developed by some quickly become growth drivers for others, thereby creating a collective value chain within the zone. Thanks to this model, companies based at VITIB and beyond have access to state-of-the-art hosting infrastructure. This includes highly secure and redundant data centers that ensure service availability as well as physical and logical data protection.

They also benefit from privileged connections to a network of specialized cybersecurity providers. These providers offer services ranging from audits and vulnerability testing to regulatory compliance and security strategy consulting. All these tools support the digital maturity of companies while providing a strong foundation for operational resilience and security, which is key to maintaining their competitiveness.

EA: During the Cyber Africa Forum, Benin's Minister of Digital Economy highlighted the critical role people play as the first line of defense against cybercrime. What ongoing training or awareness initiatives has VITIB implemented to ensure every user becomes an active agent of their own digital security?

YGN: We fully embrace that perspective because cybersecurity can only be effective when a collective culture of digital risk is in place. With that in mind, VITIB runs a continuous awareness program targeting both our staff and partner companies. This program includes regular, hands-on training, the distribution of educational materials like user guides, security alerts, and quick-reference cards, as well as simulated attacks such as phishing campaigns to test reflexes and build vigilance.

In parallel, we're actively working to launch the VITIB Digital Academy, an entirely digital space dedicated to training. Our ambition there is to democratize digital professions, particularly in cybersecurity. Ultimately, our goal is to empower every stakeholder, whether professional or enthusiast, to become an active link in the digital security chain within their own environment.

EA: CAF General Commissioner Franck Kie called on participants to pool resources and build a permanent continental alliance on cyber defense. What technical architectures or cybersecurity information-sharing protocols do you see as key to enabling rapid detection and coordinated response to incidents across West Africa and the continent?

YGN: VITIB fully supports the idea of a pan-African cyber defense strategy based on cooperation among states, private actors, and regional organizations. In today’s interconnected world, threats know no borders, and only a coordinated response will allow our countries to defend themselves effectively.

In today’s interconnected world, threats know no borders, and only a coordinated response will allow our countries to defend themselves effectively.

Several workstreams could help foster true digital solidarity in Africa. These include networking national incident response teams to facilitate information sharing, mutual assistance, and crisis coordination; adopting open standards to enable real-time exchange of threat, vulnerability, and incident data; and creating a pan-African threat intelligence and alert platform accessible to both states and businesses to enhance ecosystem resilience.

Such an approach will help boost the continent’s collective strength in cybersecurity while preserving each country's sovereignty. VITIB is ready to host these solutions, drawing on its infrastructure, the institutional backing of the Ivorian state, and its network of partners.

EA: How well does Côte d’Ivoire’s current regulatory framework align with the demands of digital resilience, and what changes would you propose to promote innovation while ensuring security?

YGN: Côte d’Ivoire has already made significant strides, notably with its data protection law and regulation by ARTCI, the Telecommunications/ICT Regulatory Authority of Côte d'Ivoire. However, the rapidly evolving landscape of threats and technologies calls for ongoing regulatory adaptation.

Strengthening sub-regional regulatory cooperation is also essential to harmonize practices and facilitate the secure flow of data. Ultimately, regulation must support innovation, not hinder it.

Introducing incentives for companies that build security into product design and developing more flexible regulatory frameworks are areas worth exploring. Strengthening sub-regional regulatory cooperation is also essential to harmonize practices and facilitate the secure flow of data. Ultimately, regulation must support innovation, not hinder it.

EA: Is VITIB exploring new investment strategies or technological partnerships to bolster the digital resilience of its infrastructure?

YGN: Our ambition is to position Côte d’Ivoire as a true regional tech hub by emphasizing innovation, competitiveness, and digital security.

To that end, our primary lever is reinforcing our international openness policy. We're actively creating and consolidating strategic partnerships with countries like Canada, India, Morocco, and Benin. These collaborations allow us to leverage tangible synergies, particularly in cybersecurity, through sharing best practices, technology transfer, and workforce upskilling. We're convinced that West Africa’s digital sovereignty will be built through strong alliances and greater mastery of critical infrastructure.

West Africa’s digital sovereignty will be built through strong alliances and greater mastery of critical infrastructure.

That’s the vision VITIB is committed to advancing, serving as a cornerstone of this sovereignty for the entire regional ecosystem.

Interview by Emiliano Tossou