In a bid to become one of the most advanced African countries in terms of information and communications technology, Cote d'Ivoire entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei Technology to develop its ICT sector through its ministry of digital economy.

The MoU, which was formalized on Oct 8 at the office of Mamadou Sanogo, the minister for digital economy, tasked Huawei with assisting the West African country in designing its national digital economy strategy called Digital Cote d'Ivoire 2030.

The Chinese firm will also assist in setting up a broadband development strategy by carrying out a study for the establishment of a normative framework for access to very high-speed broadband. The company will also assist in promoting accessibility for people with disabilities, for inclusive development of the digital economy.

"This signing of the addendum to the memorandum of understanding existing between the ministry of the digital economy and Huawei, aims to strengthen the government's willingness to rely on the expertise of the multinational Huawei Technology for development of the ICT sector in Cote d'Ivoire, by exploring such important and strategic axes," Sanogo said.

According to Loise Tamalgo, vice president of public relations at Huawei for Sub-Saharan Africa, after 20 years of presence and contribution to the development of the continent, Huawei has already deployed more than 200,000 kilometers of fiber optics on the continent, and in the years to come intends to work to deploy as much fiber to link Africa.

"Cote d'Ivoire is a country of choice for Huawei, being one of the countries at the forefront of digital transformation in sub-Saharan Africa," Tamalgo said.