On April 13 and 14, 2026, Abidjan hosted the second edition of SIADE, a salon that asks a question many still avoid: what strategy for African technological sovereignty by 2030?
We were there as a young Ivorian company building solutions grounded in artificial intelligence. Not as observers. As participants, with two products to show, to explain, to discuss.
A salon, a question.
SIADE is organised by SNEDAI Technologies and was held this year at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium, under the high patronage of the Ministry of Defense. The Minister of the Interior and Security, General Vagondo Diomandé, opened the proceedings on behalf of the Vice Prime Minister Téné Ouattara Birahima.
Artificial intelligence, defense, space. Three domains long thought of as reserved territory for great powers. SIADE 2026 made the opposite bet: what if Africa seized these topics without asking permission? Two strategic agreements were signed during the salon — one with the University of Montpellier for the launch of a nanosatellite project, the other with the Péléforo Gon Coulibaly University to strengthen training in advanced technologies.
What we showcased.
Two products designed, developed and maintained by our team in Abidjan. Two answers to very concrete problems.
An educational CRM for higher education institutions.
KLASSCI automates up to 95% of the administrative, pedagogical and financial tasks of universities and grandes écoles. Virtual classroom integrated, real-time financial tracking, complete LMD curriculum.
Read the case studyAn agritech AI that speaks the village's language.
WOURI turns weather data into practical advice for farmers, via WhatsApp and voice calls, in French and local languages.
Read the case studyBoth products share the same philosophy: to create useful technologies designed for our realities. One transforms academic management, the other makes climate expertise accessible to small rural producers. Both are now in production or in beta on Ivorian soil.
Why technological sovereignty is not a slogan.
For a school managing 3,000 students, dependence on a SaaS hosted on the other side of the world is not a technical detail. It is a vulnerability: costs in foreign currency, delayed support, sensitive data processed in jurisdictions they have no leverage over.
For a farmer in the Yamoussoukro region, a weather advisory tool that speaks neither Baoulé nor Dioula is not a tool. It's a beautiful promise that doesn't reach the village.
Building from Abidjan, with Ivorian teams, rooted in local languages and constraints, is not just economic patriotism. It's what makes products actually useful. SIADE 2026 made it clear: sovereignty begins with knowing how to build.
Two solutions, one vision: to create useful technologies designed for our realities.
What we take away.
Two dense days. Exchanges with industrialists, public services, foreign delegations, other African startups. One certainty emerged: the Ivorian tech ecosystem knows what it wants. It wants to build, not just consume. It wants equitable partnerships, not subcontracting. It wants tools that speak its language.
Every day, we move forward toward a clear objective: contributing to Africa's digital sovereignty. SIADE 2026 reminded us that we are not alone on this road.