The Development of Data Centre Infrastructures Underpinning the Digital Economy project envisions establishing six new data centres in Burundi, Central African Republic, São Tomé & Príncipe, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, alongside the reinforcement of five existing centres in Angola, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its core objectives are to secure cyberspace, build user confidence in digital services, and regionalize intra-ECCAS data exchange to reduce latency and improve access times .
The Development of Data Centre Infrastructures Underpinning the Digital Economy is a regional ICT programme under the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). It envisions establishing six new data centres in Burundi, Central African Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, alongside the reinforcement of five existing centres in Angola, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The programme is grounded in the Consensual Master Plan for the Development of Electronic Communications Infrastructure in Central Africa (PACDICE-AC), established in 2019, which identified data centre development as a regional priority. The project was formally included in the PIDA Priority Action Plan 2 (PIDA PAP2, 2021-2030) in 2020. Total programme investment is estimated at USD 92.5 million across all components. The programme aims to secure Central African cyberspace, build user confidence in digital services, and regionalise intra-ECCAS data exchange to reduce latency and improve access times. Key challenges include implementation complexity across 11 countries, technical coordination requirements, and funding mobilisation for pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.
Ce projet vise à doter l'espace sous-régional de la CEEAC des infrastructures qui participent de la sécurisation du cyberespace et contribuent à créer de la confiance dans un monde de plus en plus numérique et à garantir la souveraineté numérique des Etats.
1. Secure cyberspace and build digital confidence across all 11 ECCAS member states by establishing and reinforcing national data centre infrastructure. 2. Regionalise intra-ECCAS data exchange to reduce response times and improve data access quality and latency. 3. Support digital transformation and e-government services across the Central African region. 4. Guarantee digital sovereignty for ECCAS member states by reducing dependence on data infrastructure outside the region. 5. Enable deeper regional integration through shared, interoperable digital infrastructure. 6. Strengthen the Central African digital backbone in alignment with the PACDICE-AC framework and PIDA PAP2 continental priorities.
Original PIDA PAP 2 submission - Objective and Rationale
Doter et/ou renforcer chaque Etat membre de centre d'hébergement de données (data center)
Doter l'espace CEEAC d'un centre d'hébergement de données sous-régional