Nigeria, Burkina Faso Move to Deepen Digital Cooperation

Nigeria and Burkina Faso are set to strengthen cooperation in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and skills development.

The two countries’ digital ministers, Aminata Zerbo/Sabané and Bosun Tijani, met in Ouagadougou on August 12 to discuss areas of collaboration and possible joint projects.

According to the information released on the meeting, cross border fibre connectivity emerged as one of the key areas of interest, with Nigeria presenting its BRIDGE project, which plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of open access fibre optic infrastructure across the country.

The proposed connection could provide Burkina Faso with an additional route for international data traffic, helping to improve connectivity, increase capacity and strengthen the resilience of its digital infrastructure.

The discussions also covered artificial intelligence, with both countries exploring cooperation on AI solutions adapted to African needs and languages.

Digital public infrastructure was another area identified for collaboration, particularly digital identity and interoperability systems that could support the digitisation of government services.

The two countries also discussed cybersecurity and the need to strengthen the protection of digital networks and data as online services continue to expand.

Skills development and cooperation between technology training programmes and startup ecosystems were also considered, with the aim of creating more opportunities for young people and supporting the growth of technology businesses.

For Nigeria, the proposed partnership aligns with ongoing digital skills initiatives, including the 3MTT programme, while Burkina Faso is also developing its own national approach to artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

The meeting followed earlier discussions between Tijani and Zerbo/Sabané on the sidelines of the seventh Plenipotentiary Conference of the African Telecommunications Union in Abuja in July 2026.

Both countries are expected to develop a roadmap and implementation timetable for the proposed cooperation, with cross border fibre connectivity potentially becoming the first major project.