BOAD Approves Loan For Senegal's Diamniadio Tech Park
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The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has approved loans worth a total of US$132 million for projects in Senegal including the Diamniadio technology park, road upgrades and drinking water works.
The lender has sanctioned a US$40.7 million loan for the digital technology park being constructed in the urban hub of Diamniadio.
Located about 35km from the capital Dakar, the 25-hectare park will feature a Tier III data centre, ICT towers, a training centre and annex buildings comprising an incubation centre, a business process outsourcing (BPO) centre, an audiovisual production unit, a research facility, an administrative building and an aparthotel. An additional 75 hectares are available for expansion by the private sector.
Rendering of BPO centre in Diamniadio technology parkSource: Senegal overnmentThe total estimated cost of the project is €70.61 million (US$77 million).
It is also being supported by a US$66.4 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved in 2015 and US$10.5 million of counterpart funding from the government. In December 2022, the AfDB approved additional financing of US$5.5 million to help equip the data centre with storage and processing facilities.
The executing agency is the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy. Spain’s IDOM was contracted to develop the park’s masterplan as well as carry out architectural and engineering work and provide technical assistance during the construction phase.
According to a late September 2023 AfDB project implementation status report, construction work began in February 2019 and the overall physical implementation rate was estimated at 82%.
A team of Canada’s Axiom Group and the UK’s Elite Group began building and equipping the three ICT towers in December 2019 and had achieved 87% completion.
China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC) commenced construction on the annex buildings in April 2020 and work had reached 87% execution.
China’s Huawei is understood to be building the data centre. Work got underway in February 2019 and was 95% completion as of September 2023.
Construction work for the training centre started in April 2020 and had reached 55% execution.
In addition to the technology park, BOAD approved a US$49.8 million loan to upgrade the road network in Senegal and a US$41.5 million loan to strengthen drinking water supply in the towns of Richard-Toll, Dagana, Podor and Matam in Senegal.
Top photo: Rendering of administrative building in Diamniadio digital technology park (Source: Government)
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