By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Nigeria and Burkina Faso
have agreed to deepen cooperation on digital connectivity and explore a pathway
to reduce the cost of internet access in Burkina Faso by as much as 50 percent
through Project BRIDGE.
The agreement was reached
during a meeting in Ouagadougou between Nigeria’s Minister of Communications,
Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, and Burkina Faso’s Minister
for Digital Transition, Posts and Communication, Dr. Aminata Zerbo-Sabané.
Discussions focused on
connectivity and the potential use of Nigeria’s growing digital infrastructure
to improve the availability, affordability and resilience of internet services
across the region.
Under the proposed approach,
connectivity routes linking Nigeria to Burkina Faso through Niger and through
Benin will be modelled to assess opportunities for reducing connectivity costs
and strengthening regional digital infrastructure.
The two countries also
agreed to establish a Technical Working Committee to develop the implementation
framework for their broader digital cooperation.
The partnership will extend
beyond fibre infrastructure to include digital skills and talent development,
startup ecosystem collaboration, artificial intelligence, local-language
technologies, shared computing infrastructure, cybersecurity and research.
Nigeria is also expected to
share elements of its 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) model as part of
efforts to support digital skills development in Burkina Faso. The countries
will further explore collaboration around Burkina Faso’s Innovation Campus and
stronger links between their technology and startup ecosystems.
Tijani said the cooperation
forms part of Nigeria’s broader engagement with neighbouring countries aimed at
leveraging its digital infrastructure and capabilities to support shared
economic growth and regional integration.
The engagement follows
Nigeria’s recent discussions with Benin and forms part of a wider four-country
regional initiative that will also involve Niger and Chad.
The proposed connectivity
and technology partnerships are intended to strengthen Nigeria’s role as a
digital gateway between West Africa and the Sahel while expanding access to
affordable digital services and creating opportunities for cross-border innovation.
