The World Bank Group has committed $137 million to support digital integration and job creation in Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP), launched in November 2023, is a transformative initiative aimed at expanding internet access and promoting a single digital market across West Africa.
The program’s first phase, WARDIP1, implemented in partnership with the African Union, Smart Africa, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has supported The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania. WARDIP1 strengthened institutional capacities and extended access to digital services, benefiting 1.3 million people half of whom are women while creating new economic and employment opportunities.
Building on this success, WARDIP2 will expand the program to a total of seven countries, including those in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), further accelerating digital integration and inclusive growth across the region.
“By harmonizing regulations, modernizing digital governance, and improving competition across regional markets, WARDIP2 creates a more predictable and investment-friendly environment,” says Marina Wes, acting World Bank Regional Integration Director for Africa. “Its support to the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), regulatory reforms in participating countries, and measures that lower deployment costs while expanding access to affordable, high‑quality connectivity are critical to deepening regional integration, unlocking private capital, and creating jobs.”
To help businesses scale, WARDIP2 will strengthen digital entrepreneurship ecosystems, expand digital financial services, and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups with seed financing, market access, and cross‑border digital trade opportunities. These investments will not only boost firm growth and competitiveness but also catalyze new digital jobs across participating countries. More than 140 digital startups, including women-led enterprises, are expected to benefit.
WARDIP was launched in November 2023 as a game-changing program to expand internet access and to promote a single digital market in West Africa. It’s first operation (WARDIP1), implemented in partnership with the African Union, Smart Africa, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is supporting The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Mauritania to strengthen institutional capacities and extend access to services, benefitting 1.3 million people, half of whom are women, and unlocking new economic and employment opportunities. WARDIP2 builds on this foundation, expanding the program to a total of seven countries and to the WAEMU.