Burkina Faso bets on a national supervision center to secure its digital backbone 🇧🇫🛡️

Cliquez ici pour lire en français

Burkina Faso has kicked off the construction of a National Digital Infrastructure Supervision Center, with works officially launched on January 19, 2025. The project is designed to strengthen the security, resilience, and sovereignty of the country’s digital systems, as part of a broader push to modernize networks and reduce technological dependence.

A central command center for the country’s digital backbone 🖥️

Burkinabè authorities have formally begun work on what is expected to become a cornerstone of the country’s digital governance. The project represents an investment of around CFA 3.05 billion (approximately $5.4 million), with commissioning scheduled for October 2026 following several phases of construction.

Housed in a five-storey (R+5) building, the center is intended to serve as the nerve center of Burkina Faso’s national digital infrastructure. It will enable centralized supervision of the national backbone, real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure, and management of public data centers. The goal is to better anticipate outages, ensure service continuity, and improve response capabilities in the event of technical failures or cyber incidents.

According to the Ministry of Digital Transition, the center will provide the state with a modern, secure, and sovereign management tool. It is also expected to reduce the current fragmentation of monitoring systems and establish more coherent governance of strategic digital infrastructure.

A clear acceleration in public digital investment 🚀

The supervision center is part of a broader surge in public investment in digital infrastructure. By 2026, Burkina Faso plans to deploy an additional 270 kilometers of fiber-optic cable, extend coverage to 750 remaining connectivity “white zones,” and bring several mini data centers into operation across the country.

This momentum was already visible with the launch, in October 2025, of the Digital Development Observatory. The platform collects and analyzes infrastructure data to help the government better plan investments and address territorial imbalances in digital access.

Together, these initiatives fall under twelve flagship projects driving the country’s digital transformation. One of the guiding principles is ensuring that no critical infrastructure remains unprotected. Authorities are also prioritizing local hosting solutions to reduce reliance on foreign services and keep sensitive data within national borders.

Ambitious goals for digital sovereignty 🌍

Beyond infrastructure, the Burkinabè government has outlined clear ambitions around digital sovereignty. The national strategy includes developing local data centers, deploying a sovereign cloud, and progressively interconnecting all public administration buildings.

During the Digital Week of Burkina Faso held in November 2025, officials presented a roadmap focused on more advanced digital use cases. Plans include building a Tier III national data center, rolling out 5G networks, using satellite connectivity to reach rural areas, and leveraging solar energy to secure power supply for critical infrastructure.

The government is also encouraging hybrid models that combine public and private cloud services. The approach aims to provide reliable hosting capacity for the private sector while stimulating the local tech ecosystem, particularly startups and companies working on artificial intelligence and advanced digital services.

A structural gap still to close ⚠️

Despite these efforts, Burkina Faso continues to face significant challenges. International benchmarks show the country starting from a relatively low baseline in digital development. In 2024, it ranked 175th out of 193 countries on the United Nations E-Government Development Index, well below both African and global averages.

National data highlights similar constraints. As of August 2024, mobile network coverage stood at 85%, but internet access lagged behind, with 3G reaching 64% of the population and 4G just 46%. According to the International Telecommunication Union, internet penetration was still below 17% in 2023.

In terms of cybersecurity, Burkina Faso occupies a middle-of-the-pack position globally. While the country has established a relatively solid legal and institutional framework, it continues to trail on technical capabilities and skills development. In this context, the future supervision center could play a pivotal role in closing these gaps and strengthening long-term trust in the country’s digital ecosystem.

👉🏾 Can this supervision centre really strengthen Burkina Faso’s digital sovereignty?