Official ceremony, economic forum, panels on digitalisation, the circular economy and financing, and the launch of SIA Talent: the 5th edition of the Abidjan Infrastructure Fair brought together industry players for three days around a single goal, building the infrastructure of tomorrow.
The Abidjan Exhibition Park came alive from 17 to 19 September for the 5th edition of the Salon des Infrastructures d’Abidjan (SIA). Held under the theme “Digitalisation, Circular Economy and Sustainable Resource Management in Construction,” this edition brought together ministers, business leaders, investors, young talents and technical and financial partners around the major challenges facing the construction and infrastructure sector today. Between the official launch, discussions on digital transformation, business opportunities, expertise-sharing and technical demonstrations, SIA 2026 spent three days as a space for dialogue between the issues, the solutions and the players of the sector.
A Ceremony Under High Patronage
The official opening was held in the presence of Côte d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister and head of government, Robert Beugré Mambé, who placed this edition under his patronage. He was joined by several government members, including the Minister of Infrastructure and Road Maintenance, Amadou Koné, as well as a large Guinean delegation led by the Minister of Infrastructure, Fassiné Sylla. Guinea was indeed the guest of honour country for this fifth edition, a choice reflecting the GIBTP’s determination to strengthen ties between the Ivorian and Guinean private sectors, notably through the cooperation agreement signed in June 2026 between the GIBTP and Guinea’s Confédération Générale des Entreprises.
In his address, the Prime Minister recalled the sector’s weight in the national economy: construction accounts for around 6% of Côte d’Ivoire’s GDP. He looked back on the investments made since 2015, more than 7,500 billion CFA francs injected into roads, ports, rail and airports, while stressing the need to involve the private sector further in upcoming major projects, notably through the 2026–2030 National Development Plan, which earmarks 38,756 billion CFA francs for infrastructure.
The Commissioner General, Architect of a Gathering of Decision-Makers
The driving force behind the organisation, SIA Commissioner General Ismaël Boga N’Guessan, carried the vision for this edition throughout the three days. For him, the fair’s value lies precisely in its ability to bring together every level of decision-making in one place: “SIA is the opportunity to meet, in a single location, all the players, decision-makers and opportunities driving the infrastructure sector forward.” An ambition that this edition’s programme, panels, economic forum, B2B and B2G meetings, and the equipment arena, thoroughly delivered on.
A Fair With Real Economic Stakes
Beyond the speeches, SIA 2026 also asserted itself as a business platform. The GIBTP and Axes Marketing, co-organisers of the event since its creation in 2014, had announced ahead of time more than 5,000 qualified visitors, professionals from construction, roads, electricity, water and sanitation, and telecommunications, the four networks at the heart of this edition. The exhibition spanned a total area of around 19,000 m², including 5,000 m² dedicated to the premium corporate exhibition, 10,000 m² for the outdoor equipment exhibition, and 4,000 m² for live demonstrations at the Arena.
A number of major industry names made the trip to the stands. Companies and groups present notably included Porteo Group, PFO Construction, cement maker Dangote and Bernabé, alongside institutional and technical players such as SOTACI, BNETD, CNP-PPP and Artemis Construction et Travaux. Their presence underlines SIA’s standing as a must-attend event for industrial players, equipment suppliers, engineering firms and sponsors across West Africa’s construction sector, who used the three days to showcase their solutions, build contacts and explore partnership opportunities between Ivorian and Guinean operators.
Guinea, Guest of Honour, Called for Stronger Cooperation
For this edition held under the sign of its Guinean guest of honour, the Vice-President of Guinea’s employers’ federation, Ismaël Keïta, representing the Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Guinée, delivered a widely noted speech on the prospects for cooperation between the two countries. He addressed the structural challenges weighing on the sector in West Africa, noting that, according to the AfDB, the continent’s infrastructure needs reach between 130 and 170 billion dollars a year, with a financing gap estimated at 60 billion dollars.
Highlighting his country’s strengths, he presented the Simandou 2040 programme, Guinea’s socio-economic transformation strategy, with a total cost of 200 billion dollars, 70% of which is expected to come from the private sector. A message of openness and partnership that he summed up by praising the spirit of this edition: “new prospects for partnership, memoranda of understanding or new relationships are being woven” on the occasion of this fair, between operators from both countries. He also stressed that Guinea’s private sector had come not only to draw inspiration from Ivorian experience, but also to bring its own expertise, saying it had come “to offer its strengths in the construction sector.”
Three Days, Four Panels, and One Common Thread: Digital
From the very first day, an economic forum dedicated to business opportunities in construction kicked off the discussions, followed by the edition’s very first panel, devoted to digitalisation and the digital transformation of construction in Africa, challenges and opportunities, with the participation of high-level experts.
The second day featured two panels, one on the circular economy and the recovery of waste and materials in construction, the other on sustainable resource management and energy efficiency. That day was also marked by B2G meetings between companies and members of the Ivorian and Guinean governments, as well as B2B meetings between operators from both countries. The third and final day placed particular emphasis on public policy, financing and youth, with a fourth panel devoted to standards and financing for a sustainable, digitalised construction sector, followed by the awarding of prizes for the SIA Talent competition and the SIA Digital Awards.
The Launch of SIA Talent, Aimed at Young People
A major new feature of this edition, the SIA Talent programme was officially launched on the very first day, following the opening ceremony. Presented as a flagship initiative of this edition, it offered a hackathon, masterclasses on the construction sector, and job-dating sessions designed to connect young talents with companies’ skills needs. A strong signal from the organisers, who wanted to turn this fair into a springboard for employment and training in a sector undergoing rapid technological change, before winners were rewarded at the closing ceremony on Saturday.
Over the three days, the programme also featured equipment demonstrations at the Equipment Arena, showcasing exhibiting companies’ machinery and expertise, alongside a sales exhibition. All of which confirmed SIA’s ambition to go beyond a simple trade exhibition and become, as the Ivorian Prime Minister had hoped from the opening, “a space for reflection, innovation, business networking and, above all, the concrete realisation of partnerships.”