(Ecofin Agency) - African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Union (EU) partnered to help the Central African Republic achieve its digital potential. In this framework, both institutions will finance the implementation of the national optical fiber backbone, which is part of the Central Africa Backbone (CAB) project.

The project’s total cost, €33.3 million, is broken into a €16.7 million donation from AfDB and €16.6 million from the EU.

Expected to be completed by 2021 (2018-2021), the Central African optical fiber network should foster the diversification of the national economy and open up the country digitally. Many projects are backed to this network including the implementation of a national datacenter, the transformation of public administration via digital technologies (e-government), the construction of some 20 community digital centers along the optical fiber network to provide populations with a better access to ICTs, and the establishment of a digital training center and a business incubator at the University of Bangui.

During the institution’s board meeting on December 15, 2017, Ousmane Doré (photo), AfDB’s chief executive for Central Africa, said: “this key project will end digital isolation of the Central African Republic. It falls in line with the sub-region’s integration program supported by AfDB, in accordance with its high 5 strategic priorities”.

Once completed, the project will promote optical fiber interconnection between the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Congo. “Itperfectly illustrates the important impact of digital on African economies’ transformation, the improvement of public services’ quality and job creation for youth ", said Samatar Omar Elmi, ICT expert, in charge of the project at AfDB.