• Gabon boosts 2026 digital budget by 156% to 82B CFA francs

• Funds target infrastructure, literacy, and e-governance expansion

• Country scores low in cybersecurity despite digital policy gains
  

Gabon’s Ministry of Digital Economy, Digitalization, and Innovation has announced a budget of 82 billion CFA francs for 2026, representing a massive 156.2% increase from the 32 billion CFA francs allocated in 2025. Minister Mark-Alexandre Doumba presented the budget to the National Transition Assembly on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.

The significant increase "reflects the government’s commitment to accelerating the country's digital transformation through the strengthening of the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem, the deployment of digital infrastructure, and the promotion of a genuine digital literacy across the country," the ministry said in a statement released on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

While the statement did not specify the projects planned for 2026, the government has launched several digital infrastructure initiatives in recent months. These include signing an agreement with an American technology company to construct a national data center. Private partners such as Cisco, Tech 41, Visa, Huawei, Moov Africa Gabon Telecom, and Afrastructure SAS have also been approached. Discussions have focused on expanding the national fiber optic network, strengthening universal service, telecom infrastructure sharing, 5G deployment, and connecting the country to a new submarine cable.

In digital transformation policy, the government recently issued an ordinance that mandates public administrations to digitize their services, interconnect their systems, and fully integrate the national private sector to establish digital sovereignty.

Gabon is currently ranked 121st out of 193 countries on the United Nations E-Government Development Index, scoring 0.5741 out of 1. This places it above the average for Central Africa (0.3354) and Africa (0.4247), but below the global average (0.6382). The country’s lowest score, 0.3188 out of 1, was recorded in the online services indicator, while its highest, 0.8263, was in the telecom infrastructure indicator.

This result aligns with the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 2024 ICT Development Index, where Gabon scored 76.1 out of 100, ranking 11th out of 42 African nations.

However, Gabon faces challenges in cybersecurity. The ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 placed the country in the fourth and second-to-last category (Tier 4), with an overall score of 39.86 out of 100. While the country achieved the maximum score of 20 in the legal measures pillar, significant progress is still required in the areas of technical, organizational, and cooperation measures.

Isaac K. Kassouwi

• Ghana, Cisco discuss partnership for digital skills training
• “One Million Coders” targets certified youth in tech fields
• Plan includes digital centers, global tech firm collaborations

The Ghanaian government is exploring a collaboration with U.S. technology giant Cisco Systems for its "One Million Coders" program, an initiative aimed at equipping the nation's youth with digital skills. A Cisco delegation presented a partnership proposal to Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, during a meeting last week.

While specific details of the proposed partnership were not disclosed, Cisco operates its own global training platform, the Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad), established in 1997. NetAcad offers free or subsidized courses, both online and in-person, covering areas such as computer networking, cybersecurity, programming, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. The academy works with governments, universities, and organizations to provide globally recognized certifications, including the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate).

During the meeting, Minister George reiterated that the "One Million Coders" program aims to train internationally certified professionals in high-demand fields such as AI, cybersecurity, forensic data science, and cloud computing. He also announced plans to establish digital centers in all 276 constituencies across the country, each equipped with approximately 50 computers, to ensure young people in rural areas have access to necessary equipment and internet connectivity for their training.

George stated that the government is actively seeking partnerships with major technology firms, including Google, Huawei, Microsoft, and AWS. The government had previously engaged with TikTok in June and, in September, initiated a collaboration with Code Racoon, a company backed by German partners, to train 350,000 young individuals. Discussions are also underway with local tech firm TECHAiDE to integrate its "Asanka" wireless device, an offline Local Learning Management System (LMS), into the training program.

Launched in April, the "One Million Coders" program is part of the government’s comprehensive plan to build a digitally competent workforce capable of supporting Ghana's transition to an innovation-driven economy. The GSM Association (GSMA) estimates that continued digital transformation across the agriculture, industry, trade, and transport sectors could create an additional 340,000 jobs by 2027, generating a total added value of 34.9 billion cedis ($3.24 billion).

The partnership is not yet finalized. Minister George invited Cisco to submit a formal proposal and a letter of intent to officially establish the collaboration, though no specific timeline was provided.

Isaac K. Kassouwi

• Twenty high-speed Internet sites launched under a $100 million digital project.
• The program aims to connect 76 rural sites nationwide by the end of 2025.
• Limited electricity access remains a major challenge in remote areas.

Congo’s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy, Léon Juste Ibombo, announced on Monday, October 13, the activation of 20 high-speed Internet access points in rural areas. The initiative, unveiled during a visit by a World Bank delegation for the Africa region in Brazzaville, aims to democratize Internet access nationwide and reduce the digital divide.

“As of today, 76 connectivity sites have been built and equipped across the country. Of these, 20 are already connected to high-speed Internet, allowing residents in remote areas to go online in real time,” said the minister.

The rollout is part of the Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATN) and the broader Digital Strategy 2030. Co-financed by the World Bank and the European Union for $100 million, the PATN represents one of the largest investments ever made in Congo’s digital sector. The government has also contributed an additional $3 million to upgrade infrastructure, prioritizing 4G technology to ensure stable and efficient connections.

The government’s goal is to connect all 76 sites to 4G by the end of the year, creating new economic and social opportunities for rural communities in e-commerce, e-learning, and e-government.

Beyond infrastructure, the initiative seeks to narrow the digital gap between urban and rural areas and strengthen the state’s capacity to deliver efficient online public services. However, persistent challenges remain, especially limited access to electricity. According to the World Bank, 67% of the urban population has electricity, compared with only 12.4% in rural areas.