Bayobab, a pan-African digital connectivity solutions provider, partnered with MTN Opco’s to land the 45,000km subsea cable at Mopo-Onibeju Lekki area of Lagos, according to Guardian Nigeria. The Akwa Ibom phase of the project has landed in Ibeno in Akwa Ibom state, South of Nigeria and is handled by the Nigerian Equinix Company, MainOne.
CEO Frédéric Schepens said this landing represents the fourth in a series of six landings spanning five countries. Among these are three destinations in West Africa—Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire—as well as South Africa. He also noted that Nigerian service providers will obtain world-class capacity in carrier-neutral data centres or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis.
“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.
Managing Director, Bayobab Nigeria, Josephine Sarouk, commented on the significance of the deep-sea cable landing, stating that arrival 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, 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 behind the 2Africa subsea cable is made up of several companies, including Meta, China Mobile International, MTN Global Connect, Orange, Vodafone, Egypt Telecom, Saudi Telecom Company, and the West Indian Ocean Cable Company. The deep-sea cable will go a long way towards transforming the region’s connectivity landscape.
