Earlier this year, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso announced investments to increase the rate of broadband penetration in the country. This is one of the priorities for national development on which the Ministry of the Digital Economy is already working.

The Burkinabé government is currently preparing a project to develop Internet connectivity in urban areas. It will take place in two phases. The first will target the cities of Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and Koudougou, while the second will be deployed in the other regional capitals. On Friday September 17, the technical and financial feasibility study of the project was presented to public and private actors in the national telecommunications sector during a workshop organized by the Ministry of the Digital Economy, Posts and Digital Transformation .

The Secretary General of the Ministry of the Digital Economy, Posts and Digital Transformation, Kisito Traoré, explained that the urban connectivity development project is justified in view of “  significant territorial disparities. The majority of the population has limited access to broadband, and access to very high speed is marginal  ”. He added that this improvement in connectivity will eventually allow urban populations to access a very high speed connection through optical fiber.

During his general policy statement before the National Assembly on Thursday, February 4, Christophe Dabiré, the Prime Minister, announced the government’s decision to increase its investment in optical fiber during the year. The announcement of the head of government followed a year 2020 marked by the global pandemic which revealed the low level of broadband penetration in the country. According to the Digital Report 2021 from Hootsuite and We Are Social, the internet penetration rate in Burkina Faso was still 25.7%. A situation which hampered the continuity of administrative and economic activities.

Kisito Traoré underlined that the government’s ambition, through the Ministry of the Digital Economy, Posts and Digital Transformation, is to connect all administrative buildings, companies, and universities to fiber optics from here. 2030, for the well-being of populations. 

Source: Agence Ecofin