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The cloud deployed by Alibaba Cloud for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be turned into a national cloud platform run by Sénégal Numérique SA (SENUM SA) once the competition is over. The state-owned company announced the plan in a press release dated 3 November 2026.
Key points
- The plan: turn the YOG infrastructure into a national cloud platform managed by SENUM SA.
- The technology: Apsara Stack, Alibaba Cloud’s on-premises cloud solution.
- Skills: 200 engineers to be trained, a technology centre of excellence and 1,000 young people to be supported, according to SENUM SA.
- The unknown: the handover timetable and operating model have not been specified.
« This infrastructure, initially deployed to meet the technological requirements of the Dakar 2026 YOG, is intended to become, at the end of the Games, a national cloud platform operated within the public framework of Sénégal Numérique SA, » said its director general, Isidore Diouf, as he received an Alibaba Cloud delegation at the company’s offices in Dakar on 3 November.
The infrastructure stems from a partnership between the State of Senegal, through SENUM SA, the YOG Organising Committee (COJOJ) and Alibaba Cloud. The agreement with the Chinese group was signed in July 2025, following a visit to China by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, according to Le Soleil. The Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, Alioune Sall, then announced in March 2026 the official acceptance of the infrastructure.
Ticketing, results and competition data
Built on Apsara Stack technology, the cloud underpins several Games services, according to the press release: electronic ticketing, from sales to venue access control; the collection and security of competition data; the tracking and publication of results; and the hosting of applications used to coordinate operations.
COJOJ general coordinator Ibrahima Wade said on 1 November that Senegal now had « one of the most powerful clouds in Africa », SENUM SA reports. The press release provides no technical data (computing or storage capacity, certification level) to back up that comparison.
A « digital public infrastructure » for government
After the Games, SENUM SA intends to use the platform as a shared digital public infrastructure (DPI), under the government’s Technology New Deal. The company lists four planned uses: sovereign hosting of government applications, modernisation of digital public services, development of shared public solutions, and stronger security for state information systems. The document also mentions access for businesses and players in the digital ecosystem, without specifying the terms.
The partnership includes a training component: 200 engineers trained in cloud professions, a technology centre of excellence, and 1,000 young people supported through the Alibaba Cloud academy. The press release does not say how far these commitments have been implemented.
Several points remain to be clarified: the date on which the infrastructure will actually be handed over to SENUM SA after the YOG, its operating costs, Alibaba Cloud’s role in maintenance, and the framework that will govern the hosting of public data. SENUM SA says it is available to the media for visits to the infrastructure.
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