Bayobab, a pan digital connectivity
solutions provider, has partnered with MTN Nigeria to land a 45,000km subsea
cable in Nigeria. Known as ‘2Africa,’ the cable landing station is at Mopo-Onibeju
Lekki area of Lagos.
2Africa is said to be the
longest underwater cable in the world, passing through three continents and 33
countries, several of which are in Africa; expanding the rapidly growing
African digital economy and positively impacting growth across the continent.

According to Josephine Awatefe Sarouk, Managing Director of Bayobaba Nigeria, the cable will directly support economic development in Africa, fostering further growth of 4G, and 5G and increasing broadband penetration to millions of people and businesses.
“Bayobab
has invested in a myriad of submarine cables to boost much-needed broadband
capacity to the continent; and bolster efforts to leverage technology to
connect the unconnected in Africa and beyond” and “The landing of 2Africa
in Nigeria will supercharge Nigeria’s digital economy, creating space for a
vibrant ecosystem bringing digital services to millions of Nigerians in line
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, 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 landing of the cable means that
Nigerian service providers can access capacity in an open-access cable landing
station on a fair and equitable basis. This supports healthy ecosystem
development by facilitating greatly improved quality and accessibility of
internet connectivity for consumers and local businesses across all sectors.
This milestone achievement by Bayobab
and MTN Nigeria will spur economic growth, innovation, and development in the
nation.
The 2Africa consortium
includes Bayobab, Center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom
Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye