• Côte d’Ivoire ranks third in Africa for fiber optic development, behind Mauritius and South Africa.

• The country moved up five spots in one year, surpassing major economies like Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya.

•  A government-backed broadband rollout is accelerating, with full activation expected by September 2025.

Côte d’Ivoire has broken into the top three African countries with the most advanced fiber optic infrastructure, according to the 2024 Fiber Development Index published by the World Broadband Association (WBBA) and UK-based research firm Omdia.

The country now ranks third in Africa, just behind Mauritius and South Africa. It is a major leap forward from its eighth-place spot in 2023, when it was still behind Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, and Uganda. Globally, Côte d’Ivoire climbed to 73rd place out of 93 countries analyzed.

The index looks at several key indicators, including fiber-to-home and fiber-to-business penetration, fiber connectivity to mobile cell sites, median download speed, and average network latency. Based on this, Côte d’Ivoire now ranks ahead of several larger economies like Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, and Ghana.

This progress supports the country’s goal of becoming a digital hub in West Africa. Backed by major public and private investments, Côte d’Ivoire has been expanding its national fiber optic network as part of a long-term plan led by the National Agency for Universal Telecommunications Service (ANSUT). So far, 5,207 kilometers of fiber have been laid under the government-led National Broadband Network (RNHD) project, which aims to reach nearly 7,000 kilometers.

Telecom giants Orange, MTN, and Moov have also played a major role. Thanks to policies encouraging private investment, they had collectively deployed more than 24,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable by 2023.

The government sees fixed broadband as a key driver of economic and social development. That is why it is pushing to complete the RNHD project, first launched in 2012 but delayed for several years due to funding issues at ANSUT between 2018 and 2022.

For 2025, ANSUT has announced what it calls an “ambitious activation strategy” for the RNHD. The plan starts with a 1,500-kilometer pilot phase linking major cities including Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Daloa, Bouaké, and Korhogo. This first stage is set to be completed in just six months, with full activation expected by September 2025.

Once active, the network will significantly boost internet access across the country and improve interconnectivity between public infrastructure. The goal is to ensure equal access to fast, reliable internet for all Ivorians.