The United States Trade and Development Agency has announced that Washington is speeding up installation of American wireless technological communication infrastructures in Nigeria and other West African countries to counter growing Chinese systems in the region.

In a statement on Tuesday, the USTDA disclosed that the government is funding Massachusetts-based company Vanu Inc to plan the build of 1,500 turnkey mobile communications base stations in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin Republic, with the aim of connecting communities that are off-grid.

“The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is accelerating the deployment of trusted U.S.-made wireless infrastructure in West Africa to connect off-grid communities in a region dominated by Chinese-made wireless systems.

“USTDA announced funding for a feasibility study to install approximately 1,500 turnkey mobile communications base stations from Massachusetts-based company Vanu Inc. (Vanu), across Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria,” the agency said.

According to the agency, the money will fund the study for Vanu Côte d’Ivoire, which has selected Georgia-based Vernonburg Group LLC to provide U.S. expertise to assess the commercial viability of large-scale deployment.

Additionally, the assistance will finance studies to evaluate existing network infrastructure, mobilise financing for implementation, analyse the market in the four countries as well as legal and regulatory frameworks in the region for the project to commence.

“The deployment of American-made mobile base stations will address West Africa’s urban-rural connectivity gap and provide millions of West Africans with faster, more reliable mobile access, supporting economic activity in areas that have historically been offline or limited to outdated 2G and 3G networks,” the USTDA noted.

Thomas Hardy, the deputy director of USTDA, mentioned that the project would provide alternative systems for insecure infrastructures in West Africa.

“USTDA is bringing private sector solutions to unlock widespread, affordable, trusted internet access in off-grid communities across West Africa. By helping American companies compete in these critical markets, we are offering an alternative to insecure infrastructure while creating export opportunities that make America more prosperous,” Mr Hardy stated.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of Vanu, Andrew Beard, expressed his excitement that the U.S. government chose the company to implement the project, stating the “study will help catalyse new investment, expand U.S. exports, and accelerate deployment of trusted, secure digital infrastructure to connect billions of people worldwide.”