Niger has taken a major step forward in improving the country's broadband connectivity and regional digital integration by completing provisional acceptance of the fibre-optic sections built under the Trans-Sahara Optical Fibre Backbone Project (TSB) – a project financed by the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org).

On 14 November, an official ceremony was held in Niamey in the presence of the Minister of Communication and New Information Technologies, Adji Ali Salatou; the Head of the African Development Bank Group's Country Office in Niger, Mamadou Tangara; the TSB Project Coordinator, Abdoulkarim Soumaila; the Managing Director of Niger Telecoms, Idrissa Djibo Maïga, and the companies and all the players involved in carrying out the work.

The cost of the project is estimated at €43 million, with financing from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group's concessional window, and a national counterpart.

The project has two major components: first, the construction of a 1,031-km national and cross-border fibre-optic network; and secondly, the installation of a Tier III national data centre.

The fibre-optic sections cover five key routes in the country: Arlit-Assamaka to the Algerian border; Diffa to N'Guigmi and the Chad border; Zinder to Magaria and the Nigerian border; Niamey to Dosso, Gaya and the Benin border; and Niamey to Makalondi and the Burkina Faso border.

In addition to these five sections, an 88-km urban local loop will connect the main administrative sites to the future national data centre.

A decisive step towards a better-connected Africa

The Minister of Communication and New Information Technologies, Adji Ali Salatou, recalled the government's vision in this respect: "With the forthcoming commissioning of these various links, the vision and desire of His Excellency General Abdourahamane Tiani, President of the Republic and Head of State, is becoming a reality. His Programme for the Refoundation of the Republic provides for a national network of very high-speed telecommunications infrastructure open to the sub-region, and the opening up of Niger to the information and knowledge age."

In his address, Tangara added: "We would like to salute an important milestone in the construction of a connected, inclusive and technologically sovereign Africa."

The Bank Group's country representative in Niger pointed out that the Trans-Sahara backbone represents a strategic lever for strengthening interconnections between several countries in the sub-region (Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mali and Mauritania) and reducing connectivity costs for people, administrations and businesses.

In particular, the project will improve Niger's digital resilience, accelerate the digitization of public services and create new economic opportunities for young people, thanks to high-quality broadband connectivity.

The TSB project coordinator, Abdoulkarim Soumaila, underlined the concrete impact of the project on tackling the digital divide, reducing connectivity costs and promoting new digital services, namely e-commerce, mobile financial services and e-government. He also pointed out that the project had made a major contribution to local employment in the areas concerned.

"This network is not an end in itself, but the beginning of a new chapter for digital technology in Niger", argued Mr Tangara, calling for efficient and sustainable use of the infrastructure for the benefit of citizens.

On 31 October 2025, the African Development Bank's active portfolio in Niger stood at over 663 billion FCFA, covering energy, transport, water and sanitation, agriculture, governance, social affairs and digital technology. The TSB project is fully in line with this strategic commitment to promoting inclusive, sustainable and innovation-led growth.