(Ecofin Agency) - The ICT and transport infrastructure division of the African Development Bank (AfDB) published the review of its activities in 2015. It reveals that the institution financed last year 16 projects associated to the division across Africa, two of which are ICT-focused. These projects received a total of $114 million (about FCFA67.7 billion) and should generate in the long term 200,000 jobs.

The first funding amounting to $44.2 million (about FCFA26.24bn) was granted Cameroon to help it deploy 916 km of fiber of optic. The infrastructure will help diversify the economy and favor regional integration, by facilitating information exchanges with neighboring nations, namely Congo, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. By 2021, the project, which will be operational this year, should drive ICT’s share in the tertiary sector up from 53.5% in 2013 to 60%; boost penetration rate of Internet services in the country, to 20% from 6% three years ago; raise tele-density from 76% to 90%; develop mobile banking and grant 20,000 farmers access to information. Overall, 616,000 people will benefit from this project. 

AfDB’s second funding in ICT in Africa, amounting to $69.5 million (about FCFA41.3 billion) was granted Senegal to help develop the Diamniadio technological park. The infrastructure aims to raise ICT’s impact on the national economy, by transforming the nation into a development cluster for ICT in French-speaking West Africa. By 2020, the project should bring up ICT’s contribution to GDP from $8.5 million in 2015, to $17.5 million; boost foreign investments in the sector, from $5 million last year to $200 million ; lead to the creation of 140,000 jobs and increase the number of ICT firms from 200 to 700.