The French Development Agency (AFD Group) has announced that it will finance, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), technological infrastructure projects in Brazil, including the deployment of submarine optical fiber and the construction of a data center.

The announcement was made on Thursday, November 13, during the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30), held in Belém, the capital of the state of Pará.

The planned investments total 1.7 billion reais ($324 million) and are part of the Amazonia Forever program, promoted by the IDB in conjunction with the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative.

The investment plan includes the installation of 350 to 500 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cables, the construction of a data center in the state of Maranhão, and 425 kilometers of cables in the state of Pará. This infrastructure will be responsible for connecting the Amazon basin region to the global Internet network via the interconnection point located in Salinópolis, Pará, using the EllaLink system.

Complementing this initiative is the extension of the EllaLink system to French Guiana, announced in 2024, under the leadership of AFD, to further expand connectivity in the Amazon region.

The funds will be used to install submarine fiber optic cables in the states of Maranhão and Pará, with contributions of 952m reais ($180m) and 761m reais ($144m), respectively. These projects are expected to benefit around 15 million people.

The composition of the funding will be divided between the partners: the IDB will be responsible for approximately 47 percent of the total, the AFD for 33 percent, and the state governments will contribute the remaining 20 percent. The IDB’s participation was already planned in the strategy to support digital infrastructure in the Amazon region.

The multilateral agencies involved in the project estimate that approximately 350,000 students, as well as 250 quilombola communities, 110 indigenous villages, and 100 riverside communities, will gain digital access as a result of the investments in infrastructure. In addition, around two million people are expected to benefit from improved digital public services, made possible by a new regional data center.

As part of the Amazonia Forever program, the new digital infrastructure connections will allow the states of Maranhão and Pará to make high-speed internet access more accessible to millions of people in the Amazon region. The initiative aims to reduce the digital divide and increase access to essential services such as education, health, and economic opportunities.

According to Ilan Goldfajn, president of the IDB, the group is strengthening its role as a link between Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe through the Global Gateway initiative, promoting international cooperation aimed at sustainable development and digital inclusion.

The operations are currently being analyzed by the IDB, AFD, and Brazilian federal authorities, with approval expected in 2026. These projects are part of a broader trilateral initiative between the multilateral agencies and the European Union, aimed at expanding high-capacity digital connectivity throughout the Amazon basin region.

Among the resources planned is the contribution of €11.8m euros ($13m) in non-reimbursable funds from the European Union. This funding will be made available by the EU’s Latin America Investment Facility (LACIF) program and operationalized by AFD.