MainOne Partners W’Bank, Burkina Faso

MainOne Partners W’Bank, Burkina Faso

MainOne, West Africa’s premier connectivity and data center solution provider, has been entrusted by Burkina Faso, backed by the World Bank, to provide bulk connectivity services to a consortium of operators through the PAV-Burkina Cooperative, for the next three years.

Following an international bid to select a preferred operator, MainOne was chosen by the Burkinabe Government (with financial backing from the World Bank) to provide PAV-Burkina with bulk capacity to nodes in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso.

As a landlocked country, Burkina Faso has faced difficulties in accessing world-class connectivity and maintaining ubiquitous broadband internet access due to the lack of infrastructure and the reluctance of major operators to explore operational broadband service delivery models favorable for socio-economic development of the country.

To address this challenge, the PRICAO Initiative was created by the Burkina Faso Government, in collaboration with a consortium of Internet Service Providers and Mobile Operators. The purpose of the initiative is to facilitate the creation of virtual landing points as a platform for the extension of broadband network coverage in the country, with a view to improving the quality of connectivity in the region; increase Internet penetration and improve the performance of ICT services.

In order to set up an independent and competitive framework for connectivity services, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Postal Services (MDENP) with the support of the World Bank, created a Cooperative Consortium (SCOOP PAV-BURKINA).

The consortium brings together key electronic service stakeholders to deliver a turnkey project that will provide fiber optic transmission infrastructure between Ouagadougou and Dakola, to be delivered in two phases within a 3-year period.

This cooperative has the heavy task of managing and administering the infrastructure judiciously in order to ensure a fair distribution for the various marker players.

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