Brazil, IDB and France to Boost Amazon Connectivity with $324M Digital Network

Once completed, the initiative will deliver critical benefits to communities historically excluded from Brazil’s digital infrastructure.

A landmark international partnership is set to transform digital access across the Brazilian Amazon, following a major announcement by the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) and the French Development Agency Group (AFD Group). The two institutions confirmed joint plans to co-finance projects totaling up to $324 million to dramatically expand high-speed internet connectivity in the states of Maranhão and Pará. The initiative forms part of the IDB’s Amazonia Forever program and the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, representing one of the most ambitious digital inclusion efforts ever undertaken in the Amazon Basin.

The investment will fund the installation of submarine fiber-optic cables across both states, bringing fast, affordable, and resilient internet access to an estimated 15 million people in some of the most remote, underserved regions of northern Brazil. The project’s impact is expected to extend far beyond broadband access: it will enable new opportunities for education, healthcare, service delivery, economic diversification, and regional innovation.

A Transformative Expansion of Digital Access

Once completed, the initiative will deliver critical benefits to communities historically excluded from Brazil’s digital infrastructure. The expanded network will directly reach:

• 350,000 students

• 250 quilombola communities

• 110 Indigenous villages

• 100 riverside communities

• At least 2 million people who will gain enhanced access to digital public services through a new regional data center in Maranhão.

In addition to the fiber-optic backbone, the plan includes between 350–500 km of submarine cables and a state-of-the-art data center in Maranhão, as well as 425 km of new cables in Pará, linking Salinópolis to the international EllaLink submarine cable system that connects South America to Europe. This connection will significantly improve Brazil’s international data capacity and reinforce redundancy, making the system more resilient to outages.

A High-Level Commitment Announced at COP30

The agreements were formalized during a special COP30 ceremony attended by key global and national leaders, including:

• Ilan Goldfajn, President of the IDB Group

• Rémy Rioux, President of the AFD Group

• Marian Schuegraf, EU Ambassador to Brazil

• Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to Brazil

• Hermano Tercius, Brazil’s Telecommunications Secretary

• Cauê Aragão, Director-President of Investe Maranhão

Their unified message underscored the project’s significance as both a technological leap forward and a powerful symbol of international cooperation.

IDB President Goldfajn praised the initiative’s deep social impact:

“These connections will bring fast and affordable internet to millions of people in the Amazon—reducing the digital divide and expanding access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.”

AFD Group President Rioux highlighted the broader social and environmental benefits, calling connectivity a “powerful driver of social inclusion” and noting that high-speed internet will enable new tools for climate monitoring, disaster preparedness, and early-warning systems for remote communities vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Brazilian officials also emphasized the national impact. Telecommunications Secretary Tercius celebrated the dual pillars the project embodies:

“Environmental sustainability and digital connectivity are the defining priorities of our time. This cooperation shows how international partnerships truly transform lives.”

Cauê Aragão of Maranhão stressed that improved connectivity will be a turning point for the state’s development:

“High connectivity will strengthen education, health, economic integration, and innovation—especially for Indigenous and quilombola peoples.”

A Long-Term Vision for Regional Digital Integration

The operation—currently undergoing approval processes with IDB, AFD, and Brazilian federal authorities—is expected to receive final authorization in 2026. It forms part of a wider trilateral effort involving the EU, IDB, and AFD to extend high-capacity digital infrastructure across the entire Amazon Basin, including initiatives linking northern Brazil with French Guiana and Europe.

As part of the financing structure:

• The IDB will contribute approximately 47%,

• AFD 33%, and

• The state governments 20%.

The EU will further support the initiative with €11.8 million ($13.7 million) in non-reimbursable funds through its Latin American Investment Facility (LACIF), demonstrating strong European commitment to sustainable connectivity as a pillar of development.

The submarine cable system in Maranhão and Pará will link to EllaLink, the high-capacity line connecting South America and Europe. Combined with AFD’s ongoing EllaLink extension to French Guiana, this will create the first cross-border, resilient digital network dedicated to the Amazon Basin—a milestone in regional integration.

A Milestone Under Amazonia Forever

The initiative reinforces the IDB Group’s Amazonia Forever strategy, which views sustainable development, improved services, and livelihood opportunities as essential elements of forest conservation. By reducing isolation and enabling economic diversification, the program helps build conditions for long-term environmental stewardship.

Through advanced digital infrastructure, vulnerable communities will gain access to:

• Online education and digital teaching tools

• Telemedicine and remote diagnostics

• E-commerce platforms and entrepreneurship resources

• Climate risk monitoring systems

• Government services that previously required long-distance travel

These improvements are expected to help reduce inequality, support low-carbon development, strengthen social cohesion, and open new market opportunities in the region.

Toward a Connected and Sustainable Amazon Future

As the Amazon faces growing environmental and socioeconomic pressures, expanding digital access is increasingly seen as essential infrastructure. The partnership between Brazil, the IDB Group, the AFD Group, and the European Union represents a forward-looking model of cooperation designed to empower people, protect ecosystems and strengthen ties between Europe and Latin America.

If approved in 2026, this project will not only modernize connectivity in Maranhão and Pará—it will redefine the digital future of the Amazon Basin, unlocking new opportunities for millions while promoting sustainable development across one of the planet’s most vital regions.