(Ecofin Agency) - The government of Cote d’Ivoire picked Bouygues, Cegelec Maroc and Sagemcom to expand national fibre optic network. The three companies won the international call to tenders launched last year by the West African nation for the deployment of additional 5,000km of fibre.

The new infrastructure will add to 662km of already laid fiber under the backbone project commissioned on December 1, 2015 by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, and to already laid 1,400km of optic fibre whose construction started on July 20, 2012.

According to Bruno Koné, the Minister of Digital Economy and Posts, construction works for the new 5,000km of cable which are to be carried out by Bouygues, Cegelec Maroc and Sagemcom will start before the end of 2016 and take between 18 months and 2 years. The government plans to spend FCFA100 billion for these works. After the infrastructure is laid across the territory, Cote d’Ivoire would have over 7,000km of fiber optic.

At a press conference held on October 17, 2016, the minister said the project would make internet more accessible and affordable.

Muriel Edjo