Burkina Faso, Nigeria Target Cross-Border Fiber in Broader Dicgital Partnership

• Burkina Faso and Nigeria plan closer cooperation on digital infrastructure.

• Cross-border fiber could give Burkina Faso another route for international connectivity.

• The talks also cover AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and skills.

Burkina Faso and Nigeria plan to deepen their digital cooperation, with cross-border connectivity emerging as a potential first project in a broader partnership that also covers artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity and skills development.

The two countries’ digital ministers, Aminata Zerbo/Sabané and Bosun Tijani, met in Ouagadougou on August 12 to explore areas for joint action.

The discussions focused in part on stronger digital infrastructure links between the two countries. Nigeria presented its BRIDGE project, which calls for the deployment of 90,000 kilometers of open-access fiber optic infrastructure across the country. The initiative aims to expand Nigeria’s national backbone and improve Internet access, with cross-border connections also planned with several neighboring countries.

For Burkina Faso, such a link could strengthen the resilience of its connectivity and diversify its international routes. As a landlocked country, Burkina Faso relies heavily on terrestrial connections to networks in neighboring countries. Better interconnection with Nigerian infrastructure could provide an additional route for data traffic and expand available capacity for businesses and digital services.

The cooperation also extends beyond infrastructure. Both countries want closer collaboration on AI, particularly on solutions tailored to African realities and languages. Nigeria already has a large technology ecosystem and several national AI initiatives, while Burkina Faso adopted a roadmap in 2026 to guide the development and use of the technology across several sectors.

Digital public infrastructure represents another area of potential cooperation. Discussions are expected to cover digital identity and system interoperability, which could support the digitization of public services and digital exchanges between institutions. Cybersecurity is also part of the agenda as the expansion of digital infrastructure and services increases the need to protect networks and data.

Skills development completes the proposed partnership. The two countries are considering links between their training programs and start-up ecosystems to encourage the movement of talent and the emergence of technology companies capable of expanding across the region. For Nigeria, which aims to train millions of young people in digital skills through its 3MTT program, the partnership could also broaden opportunities for trained workers.

The meeting followed initial discussions between the two ministers on the sidelines of the seventh Plenipotentiary Conference of the African Telecommunications Union in Abuja in July 2026. The two sides now aim to move toward more operational projects, with plans to define a roadmap and implementation timetable.

For Ouagadougou and Abuja, the partnership could allow both countries to pool investment and expertise in areas where costs and needs can exceed the capacity of a single market. Cross-border fiber could become the first concrete project, while cooperation on AI, digital public infrastructure and training could eventually broaden the partnership across West Africa’s digital ecosystem.

Samira Njoya