Ivory Coast to open first state-owned data center next year with US Export-Import Bank backing

Ivory Coast is building its first government-owned data center, backed by a $66 million financing guarantee from the US Export-Import Bank. The facility is expected to open in 2027, and it represents a quiet but significant move in the geopolitical chess match over African digital infrastructure. The project sits inside the VITIB technology free zone in Grand-Bassam, a coastal city near the commercial capital Abidjan. By December 2025, construction was reportedly more than 20% complete, with delivery targeted for late 2026 ahead of its operational launch. Why Washington is writing the check The EXIM financing, approved on August 21, 2025, is the first data center deal in sub-Saharan Africa funded through the agency’s China and Transformational Exports Program. Those partners include Cisco, HPE, and Schneider Electric, alongside the Cybastion Institute of Technology. A separate $47 million EXIM guarantee is backing a project to digitize Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Combined, US-backed digital initiatives in the country now exceed $100 million. Digital sovereignty with a price tag The total cost of the data center facility runs approximately 42 billion West Africa...