• Burkina Faso has launched construction of a national digital infrastructure supervision center costing CFA3.05 billion ($5.4 million).

• Authorities aim to strengthen digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and resilience of critical infrastructure.

• The project fits into a broader plan to expand fiber, data centers, and nationwide mobile coverage.

Burkinabe authorities launched construction work on January 19, 2026. The project carries an estimated cost of CFA3.05 billion, equivalent to about $5.4 million. The government aims to strengthen digital sovereignty and improve the resilience of strategic infrastructure. Authorities have scheduled commissioning for October 2026, following nine months of construction.

Housed in a five-story building, the center will oversee centralized supervision of the national backbone network, cybersecurity operations, data center management, and maintenance and protection of critical state digital infrastructure. “It will serve as an essential tool for effective, secure, and sovereign management of national digital systems,” the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications said.

Growing focus on digital infrastructure

The center’s construction fits into a broader acceleration of digital infrastructure development in Burkina Faso. In October 2025, the government launched the Digital Development Observatory (OAN). The platform collects, analyzes, and maps data on national digital infrastructure to support public policy decision-making.

The project also aligns with the rollout of twelve flagship digital transformation initiatives. One objective targets “zero unprotected critical infrastructure.” Another pillar, labeled “zero data abroad,” prioritizes deployment of local data centers and sovereign cloud solutions. A third axis, “zero unconnected public administration building,” plans to interconnect all government facilities. Authorities also target 100% mobile coverage nationwide over the long term.

In May 2025, Minister of Digital Transition Aminata Zerbo/Sabane outlined a national digital coverage strategy through 2030. The plan focuses on infrastructure sharing, backbone reinforcement, fiber-to-the-home deployment, and increased investment in digital infrastructure.

During a panel at Burkina Faso Digital Week in November 2025, Oumténi Dadioari, Director of the Government Intranet at ANPTIC, presented a roadmap to strengthen national digital infrastructure to support artificial intelligence adoption. The roadmap includes plans for a Tier III national data center, a sovereign cloud, a national data platform, solar-powered energy diversification, and deployment of 5G and satellite transmission to cover rural areas. He also encouraged hybrid infrastructure models combining public and private cloud solutions to give the private sector access to reliable domestic hosting.

Ambitions face structural challenges

Authorities aim to position digital technology as a pillar of socio-economic development and to establish Burkina Faso as a reference player in Africa for ICT integration across public administration, education, health, trade, and agriculture.

However, indicators show significant gaps. In 2024, Burkina Faso ranked 175th out of 193 countries on the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), with a score of 0.2895 out of 1, below the African average of 0.4247 and the global average of 0.6382. The country recorded a 0.3640 out of 1 score on the telecommunications infrastructure component.

Official figures from August 2024 show mobile phone service coverage at 85%, compared with 64% for 3G internet and 46% for 4G internet. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reported that internet penetration reached 17% in 2023, while mobile penetration stood at 55.9%.

In cybersecurity, Burkina Faso ranks in the third tier out of five on the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index. The country shows strong performance in organization, legislation, and cooperation but lags in technical measures and capacity development.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum