• Guinea-Bissau seeks telecom insights from Chad on fiber optics

• Ministers met August 27 in N'Djamena to discuss cooperation

• No formal telecom agreement signed between the two nations

Guinea-Bissau is seeking to leverage Chad's experience in telecommunications, particularly in fiber optic deployment, to advance its own digital infrastructure. The subject was discussed during a meeting in N'Djamena on Thursday, August 27, between Chadian Minister of Telecommunications Boukar Michel and his visiting Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Julio Mamadou Baldé.

"The visit of the Guinea-Bissau minister is aimed at learning from Chad's progress in telecommunications development and legislation, especially concerning fiber optics," Chad's Ministry of Telecommunications stated in a Facebook post. "Given its vast territory and network coverage, our country has experience it can share with this Portuguese-speaking nation."

The initiative aligns with Guinea-Bissau's push to accelerate digital transformation. The country connected to its first submarine fiber optic cable, Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), in March 2023. In April, it approved the commercial launch of Starlink's satellite internet services, a technology praised for its potential to provide universal coverage.

While the ACE cable provides international connectivity, its benefits are largely confined to coastal areas. Guinea-Bissau still needs to deploy a national backbone to link its major cities and improve the quality and coverage of internet services. A 2022 World Bank report highlighted this deficiency, noting that according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), internet penetration in the country was only 32.5% in 2023.

"Guinea-Bissau’s limited middle mile infrastructure consists mainly of microwave mini links, an embryotic fiber optic metropolitan network inside Bissau, and a transport link to the Sonatel network in Senegal to provision international capacity," the World Bank report detailed.

It is important to note that no formal cooperation framework has been established between the two countries in this sector, and no agreement has been signed or announced.

Chad also faces its own challenges. According to a 2023 World Bank digital economy assessment, the country's national fiber optic backbone, while expanded in recent years, remains insufficient for a nation of its size. The network, which is almost entirely state-owned and operated by Sotel Tchad and Sudachad, is structured along three axes: West, South, and East. It primarily connects locations in the South and East to the capital, N'Djamena, leaving the West and North largely underserved.

Isaac K. Kassouwi