IN a significant move towards advancing digital connectivity, the government of Mali has reportedly granted a contract worth $117. 3 million to the China International Telecommunication Construction Corporation (CITCC) to extend the country's national fibre optic network. The aim is to gradually include the 65% of the population who, according to DataReportal data, still lack access to the Internet. As part of the project, Mali will deploy 817km of fibre optic networks, including 420km of Mopti-Gao path, 199km of Mopti- koro-bi path (bordering. The Malian government seeks to strengthen the national telecom infrastructure as part of its digital transformation ambitions.