As part of its expansion plan for fiber optic, Côte d’Ivoire will invest FCFA100 billion ($165.39 million) to lay 5,000km more across the country.

According to André Augustin Apete, Cabinet Director of Ivorian ministry of Posts and ICT, the additional infrastructure will add up to the 662 km fiber optic Eastern backbone connecting Bassam to Bouna and commissioned last December 1st by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan. It will also add to the country’s North-Western backbone project – 1,400km-long of fiber optic – which was launched in July 2012 and should be completed soon.

Laying of the 5,000 km fiber optic will begin at the beginning of 2016. Bids for the project’s implementation have already been opened. Four companies respectively Chinese, American, French and South African have indeed already submitted their bids. “We are at the project-awarding stage and by January-ending, the firms will start work,” said Augustin Apete. Minister of Posts and ICT, Daniel Kablan Duncan, said works would last 24 months.  

Upon effective implementation of this project, Côte d’Ivoire will have a 7,000km-long fiber optic network.