{"id":219069,"date":"2026-05-23T06:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T10:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/polish-state-development-bank-to-finance-african-cybersecurity-and-drone-project\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:15:08","slug":"polish-state-development-bank-to-finance-african-cybersecurity-and-drone-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/polish-state-development-bank-to-finance-african-cybersecurity-and-drone-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish state development bank to finance African cybersecurity and drone project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Polish state development bank to finance African cybersecurity and drone project<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/notesfrompoland.com\/2026\/05\/23\/polish-state-development-bank-to-finance-african-cybersecurity-and-drone-project\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-05-23 06:14:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: notesfrompoland.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!<\/p>\n

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s state National Development Bank (BGK) has signed an agreement to provide 100 million zloty (\u20ac24 million) in financing for a cybersecurity and drone project in Togo involving Polish IT firm Asseco.
\nBGK says that the investment is \u201cjust the beginning\u201d of its plans to \u201csupport Africa\u2019s sustainable economic development by focusing on proven, secure and modern European technologies\u201d, in particular those provided by Polish companies.
\nThe agreement was signed in Togo\u2019s capital Lom\u00e9 this week in the presence of Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland\u2019s deputy prime minister and digital affairs minister, and Cina Lawson, Togo\u2019s minister of public service efficiency and digital transformation.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd1d @BGK_pl podpisa\u0142 umow\u0119 dotycz\u0105c\u0105 d\u0142ugoterminowego finansowania polskiej inwestycji technologicznej w Togo o warto\u015bci ponad 100 mln z\u0142, zabezpieczonej https:\/\/t.co\/OtjfC09YXs. unijn\u0105 gwarancj\u0105 EFSD+ w ramach Programu Transformacji Cyfrowej w Afryce Subsaharyjskiej. \ud83c\udf0d
\n\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 W\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Tyj7zxInjy
\n\u2014 Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (@CYFRA_GOV_PL) May 18, 2026<\/p>\n

BGK\u2019s vice president, Marta Postu\u0142a, who was also at the ceremony, said the \u201cstrategic\u201d project is a \u201cwin-win\u201d for both sides, helping Polish firms expand in Africa while boosting Togo\u2019s digital infrastructure.
\nIn 2019, Asseco and Togo\u2019s government established Cyber Defense Africa (CDA), a joint venture providing cybersecurity services to Togo and other African countries.
\nThe new project being financed by BGK will see CDA create the African Drone Company, which will enable Togo to locally design, produce and operate drones for use in various industries and for export.
\nIt will also establish a National Digital Security Academy that will train experts in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and drone operations, among other things.<\/p>\n

\u00a0
\n\u201cPoles are among the world\u2019s leading specialists in cybersecurity,\u201d said Gawkowski, and these skills \u201ccan serve as a hallmark of our export potential\u201d. Lawson, meanwhile, said that Togo \u201ctakes pride in deepening our partnership with Poland\u201d, which she called \u201ca trusted ally\u201d.
\nBGK\u2019s financing is backed by the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), a European Union instrument that supports investment in partner countries in Sub-Suharan Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
\n\u201cThe European Union is proud to support this Polish-Togolese partnership in cybersecurity,\u201d said the EU\u2019s ambassador to Togo, Gwilym Ceri Jones. \u201cThis is about protecting citizens, public institutions and businesses, while driving new opportunities for the national economy in a thriving sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Europe is shifting from aid to investment \ud83c\udf0d
\nToday in @Euractiv, Prof. Marta Postu\u0142a, First Vice President of #BGK, explains the move toward win-win partnerships, the growing strategic role of Africa & Ukraine, and how national development banks such as #BGK are becoming key\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/YPZVszLSuw
\n\u2014 Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@BGK_pl) May 19, 2026<\/p>\n

Postu\u0142a noted that \u201cthe project in Togo is not a one-off initiative\u201d and that BGK is \u201cworking on further similar transactions\u201d to use EFSD+ to \u201cstrengthen the presence of European, including Polish, companies in African markets\u201d.
\nIt is also not BGK\u2019s first project in Africa. Last year, a consortium of six banks, including BGK, granted a loan of $76.5 million to Tanzania for the construction of a railway artery.
\nPoland has in recent years stepped up efforts to promote trade and investment ties with Africa. In 2024, a delegation led by then-president Andrzej Duda visited Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. They discussed cooperation in areas including agriculture, IT, financial technology and defence.
\nLast year, Rados\u0142aw Sikorski became Poland\u2019s first-ever foreign minister to officially visit Zimbabwe, where he represented the EU in signing a \u20ac163.9 million investment initiative that aimed to support digitalisation, transportation, new technologies and the use of the region\u2019s natural resources<\/p>\n

Accusations that President Duda’s recent state visit to East Africa was a \u201choliday\u201d are unfair.
\nBut it is true that Poland has lacked a coherent and consistent strategy on building ties with the continent.
\nDuda’s trip was a chance to start changing that https:\/\/t.co\/u1LiDKzw6m
\n\u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) March 8, 2024<\/p>\n

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n

Main image credit: CDA (press materials)
\nOlivier Sorgho is senior editor at Notes from Poland, covering politics, business and society. He previously worked for Reuters.<\/p>\n

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