Senegal has received a digital infrastructure boost after US-based firm Cybastion announced it is investing around $300 million to develop data centres, strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and deepen technology transfer as part of the country's digital transformation.
The announcement was made in Washington DC on Monday, during a meeting between Cybastion's delegation and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, held on the first day of the president's working visit to the US.
The delegation was led by Cybastion's president and CEO, Dr Thierry Wandji, and included chief strategy officer André Biyong, senior vice president of government affairs Scott Blacklin, director of operations Oscar Parlback, and coordinator of government affairs Antonio Espirito Santo.
According to Senegal's presidency, local start-ups will be directly involved in implementing the projects, helping to upskill smaller companies and retain a greater share of the value created within the country.
President Faye said digital transformation should not be measured in servers or lines of code, but in its concrete effects on citizens' lives: faster and more accessible public administration, better-protected personal data, skilled jobs for the country's youth, and a network of digital companies capable of innovating and attracting further investment.
He said the initiative should help accelerate Senegal's digital transformation, strengthen its technological sovereignty, and foster a more competitive national ecosystem.
Speaking to the delegation, Faye said Senegal possessed the resources, skilled workforce and strong institutions needed to build on the partnership, and intended to make full use of them.
"You can't sit on a gold mine and expect to be handed a handout," he said.
"Senegal has opted for win-win partnerships, in which investors find profitability while the country retains control over its development," the presidency said.
Faye set out the conditions on offer to companies establishing a long-term presence in Senegal, along with guarantees of a stable business environment governed by the rule of law.
The investment closely mirrors Cybastion's recent pledge in Cameroon, where it is targeting a $75 million investment in an AI-powered data centre and power plant in Douala.
ITWeb reported earlier this month that Cybastion's proposed Cameroonian infrastructure would combine a sovereign data centre with dedicated power capacity, targeting growing demand for computing, digital services and AI.
The Cybastion deal lands as Senegal builds out both sides of the digital infrastructure it is targeting. ITWeb Africa also reported in January that data centre operator PAIX was building a new facility in Dakar, tapping into the four submarine cables already landing there to position the city as a regional connectivity hub.
On the cybersecurity side, ITWeb Africa reported in August that Senegal's government had put forward legislation to establish a National Cybersecurity Authority and national CERT, with officials framing the bill as an economic opportunity as much as a security measure, aimed at growing a local cybersecurity industry and accredited service providers alongside stronger compliance requirements.
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