The news
- The EU has launched a $16 million broadband mapping project across 11 African countries.
- The four-year initiative, Africa-BB-Maps, runs from 2025 to 2028 under ITU oversight.
- It aims to identify internet access gaps and guide infrastructure investment. This is part of the EU’s broader €300 billion Global Gateway strategy, with nearly half earmarked for Africa
The European Union (EU) has unveiled a $16 million broadband infrastructure project targeting 11 African countries as part of its ambitious Global Gateway strategy. Dubbed Africa-BB-Maps, the four-year initiative will be executed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) between 2025 and 2028.
Africa-BB-Maps seeks to equip national telecom regulators with harmonised broadband mapping systems.
The goal is to generate accurate data on infrastructure coverage and internet access gaps, which will guide investment, regulation, and policymaking. The participating countries are Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This project is one of the most concrete steps yet in implementing the EU’s Global Gateway — a €300 billion global infrastructure plan that places digital transformation at the centre of Europe’s partnership with Africa.
Nearly half of the funds from Global Gateway are earmarked for African countries, making the continent a focal point for EU-backed sustainable development.
Africa-BB-Maps was officially launched at a regional workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in March 2025. Representatives from African governments, the EU, and international development partners endorsed the initiative’s potential to build capacity, inform infrastructure rollouts, and create data-driven policy environments across the continent.
The project is timely. As of 2024, less than 40% of Africa’s population has reliable internet access. Many rural and remote areas remain offline, and governments often lack the data needed to allocate resources efficiently. Broadband mapping, experts say, will help bridge this divide by identifying precisely where investment is most needed.
Nigeria is already setting a regional example. Its broadband mapping framework, developed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been praised for transparency and technical sophistication. Stakeholders have recommended expanding this model across West Africa, with some calling for a regional task force to standardise mapping protocols.
Beyond digital inclusion, the EU sees broadband infrastructure as a catalyst for broader economic resilience. Improved connectivity supports innovation, entrepreneurship, e-learning, and e-governance. By focusing on long-term capacity building, Africa-BB-Maps aims to ensure that beneficiary countries not only collect data but also develop the institutional muscle to use it effectively.
The initiative also signals Europe’s deeper engagement in Africa’s digital future. While the Global Gateway has been touted as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Africa-BB-Maps is one of the clearest operational signs of the EU moving from vision to implementation in the digital domain.
