Stellenium & INP-HB Launch Transformative Partnership to Establish Côte d'Ivoire as West Africa's AI Sovereignty Leader
Landmark partnership empowers Côte d’Ivoire to lead West Africa’s digital transformation through sovereign AI infrastructure and education.
ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST, October 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a defining step for national technological sovereignty, Stellenium and Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to place the nation’s AI and data infrastructure under full Ivorian control. The agreement propels Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa into the center of AI innovation and reframes how emerging economies can lead the next era of digital independence.
This partnership marks a watershed moment in which the instruments of digital power are being reclaimed under national ownership. Through collaboration with INP-HB, Côte d’Ivoire will design its own technological destiny while pioneering AI infrastructure development across West Africa—reshaping education, governance, and economic growth from the foundation up.
Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty
Under the MOU, Stellenium will work with INP-HB, government ministries, and local partners to establish a comprehensive sovereign technology ecosystem featuring:
Reliable energy: dedicated power generation infrastructure for continuous, secure digital operations.
AI-optimized data centers: climate-responsive, high-density facilities tailored to local conditions.
Sovereign AI-native cloud: a Stellenium-built platform making AI accessible to public services, startups, and enterprises without requiring specialized expertise.
Cross-sector transformation: initiatives in education, agriculture, culture, healthcare, finance, and public administration.
The Stellenium Institute for Sovereign Infrastructure & Innovation (SISII): a new forum cultivating world-class Ivorian engineers, data scientists, and technology policy leaders.
The initiative’s power lies in restoring national control. Across much of the world, foreign cloud providers dominate, creating dependencies that limit sovereignty and compromise data security. Côte d’Ivoire’s model reclaims that control.
Professor Pierre Yourougou, Deputy Director General for Research, Innovation and Technopole at INP-HB, stated:
“This partnership represents a major step forward for Côte d’Ivoire’s digital transformation. By providing a sovereign infrastructure based on artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies, we affirm our desire to bring the country into the modern age and make it internationally competitive.”
Nancy Coblenz, Co-Founder and President of Stellenium, added:
“Côte d’Ivoire is the right nation to stand at the heart of such a monumental initiative. Its people, infrastructure, and rapidly expanding economy make it the ideal place to deploy technologies and education that redefine how nations build, innovate, and thrive.”
Why This Moment Matters
Several converging forces make this initiative urgent and historic:
Global Digital Power Realignment – AI, data infrastructure, and computing power now define national influence. Nations without their own systems risk exclusion from the global digital economy.
Strategic Control – Reliance on foreign infrastructure can mean slower service, limited transparency, and outside influence over national priorities. Control of technology infrastructure means control of the future.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Advantage – Accelerating digital adoption, a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, and visionary leadership make this the ideal moment for transformative investment.
Workforce at the Core – The MOU embeds long-term talent development through SISII, ensuring technological leadership remains in Ivorian hands.
Cultural and Societal Sovereignty – Beyond technology, the initiative supports cultural preservation, indigenous languages, and development models aligned with national values.
West Africa’s AI Gateway – Côte d’Ivoire will serve as West Africa’s AI hub, delivering cutting-edge capacity to a region historically underserved by digital infrastructure and positioning the nation as a leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Slava Yanson, CEO and Co-Founder of Stellenium, emphasized:
“Côte d’Ivoire is proving that African nations can lead the global AI revolution. When a nation controls its infrastructure, it controls its future, its opportunities, and its narrative. This is what authoring your destiny looks like—with precision, purpose, and unwavering commitment to sovereignty.”
Ceremony & Signatories
The signing ceremony took place on October 7, 2025, at INP-HB in Abidjan, marking a pivotal moment in the nation’s technological evolution.
Signatories
INP-HB: Professor Pierre Yourougou, Deputy Director General for Research, Innovation and Technopole
Stellenium Corporation: Nancy Coblenz, Co-Founder and President
Witnesses included Mr. Arouna Dao (Special Advisor to the President of CESEC), Mr. Slava Yanson (CEO and Co-Founder of Stellenium), Mr. Moussa Dao (Leader of the Silicon Valley Task Force under CESEC), Prof. Cisse Théodore Haba (Director of UMRI STI, INP-HB), Prof. Souleymane Oumtanaga (Director of UMRI MSM, INP-HB), and Dr. Romain Fossou (Technical Assistant to the Director General, INP-HB).
This collaboration is the first step toward establishing Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign AI infrastructure, with INP-HB serving as the institutional anchor uniting government, academia, and industry.
Next Steps & Invitation to Partnership
Joint implementation teams will begin site selection, engineering assessments, pilot deployments, and governance framework development. INP-HB will coordinate across ministries and regulatory bodies to ensure seamless execution and alignment with national priorities. Each phase is structured to deliver sovereign control while promoting responsible, sustainable growth.
This partnership is a model of mutual trust and national purpose. For governments, academic institutions, investors, and technology leaders dedicated to autonomy and self-determination, it offers a direct invitation to help build a sovereign digital ecosystem—designed, owned, and operated by Ivorians for Ivorians.
About Stellenium Corporation
Stellenium empowers nations to achieve genuine digital sovereignty through integrated infrastructure, sustainable energy systems, and sovereign AI platforms. The company helps governments independently own and evolve their digital systems, ensuring full control while delivering transformative technology with lasting local impact.
About Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB)
INP-HB is Côte d’Ivoire’s leading polytechnic institution for engineering, technology, and scientific research. As a nationally chartered center for innovation, it develops the technical expertise and research capacity vital to national development and serves as a cornerstone of the country’s academic and innovation ecosystem.
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