Benin's Ministry of Digital and Digitalization is exploring the possibility of establishing a second national data center.

In a project notice shared by the World Bank Group, calls have been put out for firms to conduct a feasibility study for the implementation of "redundancy" for the country's national data center.

Part of the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (WARDIP), the Ministry is requesting that a technical, economic, and legal feasibility study be carried out for the establishment of a second data center in the "West African region."

The project is being funded by the World Bank.

While the current national data center is within Benin's boundaries, the secondary facility is not necessarily required to be in Benin proper, with the study looking at "a country in the region."

According to the WARDIP summary, West Africa includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo) and Mauritania.

Submissions from those interested in conducting the study must be made by March 27, 2026, with the study itself completed within six months.

Benin's current national data center is located in Abomey-Calavi, on the Interstate National Highway One. The facility spans 300 sqm (3,230 sq ft), and is operated by SBIM, a state-owned telecommunication company. Under the country's national AI and big data strategy, Benin aims to bring AI capabilities to the data center.

Benin is home to few data centers, with operators including MTN, Alink Telecom, and Isocel Telecom.

Other government-operated data centers in West Africa to have launched recently include one in Bamako, Mali, and two "mini data centers" in Burkina Faso. Chad has also revealed plans to invest ($204.7m) in developing a national data center and in expanding its fiber optic networks.