• Burkina Faso inaugurated two government mini-datacenters costing $28.6 million.

• Authorities aim to keep public and private data hosted inside the country under a digital sovereignty strategy.

• Officials expect savings of about 30 billion CFA francs over five years by cutting foreign hosting costs.

Burkina Faso has stepped up efforts to develop its national digital infrastructure, which authorities view as a cornerstone of the country’s digital transformation. 

Authorities announced the inauguration on Friday, Jan. 23, of two mini-datacenters dedicated to public administration. The government estimated the total cost at CFA16 billion ($28.6 million). Officials said the investment fits into the country’s digital sovereignty strategy, which promotes hosting national data within Burkina Faso.

“This project represents an intermediate step toward the construction of a national Big Datacenter, designed to repatriate all digital data from the public administration and private sector that are currently hosted outside the country,” the Ministry of Digital Transition, Posts and Telecommunications said in a statement published on Facebook.

According to official data, the two mini-datacenters will provide about 3,000 terabytes of storage capacity, which is ten times the existing level. The facilities will support more than 7,000 connected virtual machines. Each ministry will be able to host between 100 and 300 virtual servers to deploy its digital platforms.

The initiative aligns with the government’s plan to use digital technology as a driver of socio-economic development and to position Burkina Faso as a reference player in ICT integration across key sectors such as public administration, education, health, trade and agriculture. The project also supports one of the 12 flagship pillars of the country’s digital transformation strategy, known as the “zero data abroad” principle. Authorities expect savings of about 30 billion CFA francs over five years through lower foreign hosting costs.

Digital sovereignty in Africa: beyond infrastructure

The development of local data centers marks progress toward digital sovereignty, but sovereignty extends beyond physical infrastructure. The Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) said the technology stack also includes applications, operating systems, consumer products and service providers, segments that foreign players still largely dominate.

In a report published in December 2024, ACSS highlighted the dominance of Google and Meta at the application layer, alongside the prevalence of U.S. operating systems such as Android, iOS and Windows. Asian manufacturers, mainly Chinese and South Korean groups, supply most mobile devices, with Apple maintaining a strong U.S. presence. Foreign groups also dominate service provision, including Orange of France, India’s Airtel, Africell of the United States and Vodafone of the United Kingdom.

To reduce dependence, the center recommended diversifying supply and strengthening competition while local technological tools emerge. It also urged governments to prioritize cybersecurity by encouraging states, companies and individuals to adopt secure solutions and by reinforcing national capabilities to protect critical infrastructure.

On that front, Burkina Faso ranked in the third tier out of five in the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index in 2024. The country recorded progress in institutional, legislative and cooperation frameworks, but it lagged in technical capacity and skills development.

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

Adapted in English by Ange J. A. de BERRY QUENUM