The United States is backing Côte d’Ivoire’s digital transformation with up to $170 million in Export Import Bank of the United States financing guarantees for projects that include the country’s first sovereign national data center, a government digitalisation platform and a smart border management system, according to Bloomberg. The programme is being led by US technology company Cybastion in partnership with the Ivorian government and is designed to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure while expanding the use of American technology.
The financing builds on an initial EXIM guarantee of more than $100 million approved for the national data center and digital government project, marking the US agency’s first major financing guarantee for an African digital infrastructure initiative. The additional financing brings total EXIM guarantees supporting Cybastion’s projects in Côte d’Ivoire to $170 million, with the wider programme also covering cybersecurity, digital public services and intelligent border infrastructure.
For Côte d’Ivoire, the project has significance beyond the construction of a physical data facility. A sovereign data center gives the government greater capacity to host and manage critical public sector data domestically, while the accompanying digitalisation programme could improve the delivery of government services and support a more secure digital economy. Cybastion says the initiative is aligned with Côte d’Ivoire’s 2026 to 2030 National Development Plan, which places digital transformation and private investment at the centre of the country’s ambition to reach upper middle income status by 2030.
The deal also strengthens Washington’s commercial position in one of West Africa’s fastest growing economies, creating opportunities for US technology companies while positioning Côte d’Ivoire as a potential regional hub for secure digital infrastructure. The partnership comes alongside other US backed initiatives in the country, including the approval of Starlink commercial operations, signalling a broader push to deepen American participation in Côte d’Ivoire’s technology and infrastructure economy.
