Meta’s 45,000-kilometer-long 2Africa subsea cable has reached the beaches of Lagos and Akwa Ibom states in Nigeria. The deep-sea cable project will connect 32 African countries, boosting economic development and increasing broadband access for millions of people and businesses.
Bayobab, a pan-African digital connection solutions provider, collaborated with MTN Opcos to install a 45,000km subsea cable in Lagos’ Mopo-Onibeju Lekki neighborhood, according to Guardian Nigeria. The Akwa Ibom phase of the project has arrived in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom state, in southern Nigeria, and is being handled by MainOne, a Nigerian Equinix company.
CEO Frédéric Schepens stated that this is the fourth of six landings across five countries. These include three West African destinations (Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire), as well as South Africa. He also stated that Nigerian service providers will receive world-class capacity in carrier-neutral data centers or open-access cable landing stations in a fair and equitable manner.
“The 2Africa initiative is at the core of the work we do as Bayobab, with the ultimate goal of connecting Africa to the world and the world to Africa. We are eager to continue offering services that will expand the rapidly growing African digital economy and positively impact growth across the continent,” he said.
Josephine Sarouk, Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria, emphasized the importance of the deep-sea cable landing in Nigeria. She believes that it will boost the country’s digital economy by creating a vibrant ecosystem and providing digital services to millions of Nigerians, aligning with the government’s vision for a thriving digital economy.
“Our investment in 2Africa is part of our commitment to our customers, bringing resilience to networks and capacity due to the growing demands for digital services such as Fintech, IoT, AI, and e-learning, which continue to revolutionise the way customers engage with services, fueling the demand for more data. This landing is further proof of our long-held confidence in the future of the continent,” she said.
The consortium for the 2Africa subsea cable includes Meta, China Mobile International, MTN Global Connect, Orange, Vodafone, Egypt Telecom, Saudi Telecom Company, and West Indian Ocean Cable Company. The deep-sea cable will significantly improve the region’s connection.
