ASPEX 2026 : Côte d’Ivoire wants 100% coverage, and satellites are part of the pitch 🛰️🇨🇮

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Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) wants to push its digital coverage further, and space technology is part of the plan. Held in Abidjan, the Africa Space Expo (ASPEX 2026) put connectivity at the center of its discussions before wrapping up on September 26, 2026, after two days of exhibitions. Billed as an « infrastructure for action, » the event aims to turn African priorities into concrete projects. For Côte d’Ivoire, one of the key issues on the table is extending coverage and making different network infrastructures work together.

From 95% to 100% coverage 📶

Côte d’Ivoire’s digital coverage is currently estimated at 95%, according to the Ministry of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation. The goal now is full coverage, with high-speed, good-quality connectivity. That ambition drove the discussions about technologies that could help extend networks. Among the options discussed, space-based networks are being pitched as a complement to existing infrastructure, meant to extend and consolidate national coverage.

Satellites to complement terrestrial networks 🛰️

On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Minister Djibril Ouattara, who heads the Ministry of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation, called for stronger ties between the space and digital sectors. That cooperation is presented as a way to speed up connectivity, make better use of data and spur innovation.

« Connectivity doesn’t just link devices. It links people to opportunities, businesses to markets and governments to citizens, » he said. The government says it wants to build a Côte d’Ivoire that is more connected, more self-reliant and firmly oriented toward innovation.

Terrestrial and satellite networks, side by side 🔗

The Radiocommunications Forum, held alongside ASPEX 2026, also focused on bringing infrastructures together. The minister stressed that terrestrial and satellite networks need to complement each other.

Ivorian institutions, namely the telecom regulator ARTCI, the radio-frequency agency AIGF and the state IT company SNDI, along with the operators present, backed that complementarity. In this setup, satellites are pitched as a way to reach dead zones (areas with no network at all), keep connectivity running when undersea cables fail, and speed up digital inclusion across the country.

So the 100% target hinges on getting several kinds of infrastructure to work together, with satellite networks taking a seat next to terrestrial ones. How that will play out on the ground, and on what timeline, remains to be seen.

What role should satellite networks play in improving connectivity where you live? Tell us in the comments.