Bayobab lands 2Africa subsea cable in Ghana and Nigeria to strengthen internet connectivity across West Africa

Bayobab has announced the successful landing of a 45,000 km-long 2Africa cable in Ghana and Nigeria. The 2Africa consortium is developing the largest subsea cable project in the world. Cables like 2Africa lay the foundation for the global internet, connecting people and continents, and once live, they will help deliver better and much-needed capacity between Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

For Bayobab, these landings are the third and fourth in a series of six landings across five countries. This includes three locations in West Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria,and Ivory Coast, in addition to South Africa.

Frédéric Schepens, CEO of Bayobab said, “Following two milestone landings in South Africa, we are pleased to announce 2Africa cable landing further up the continent, in Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria. 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.”

These landings mean that Ghanaian and 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. This will support a healthy internet ecosystem development by facilitating greatly improved internet accessibility for businesses across all sectors and customers alike. Bayobab, which is the 2Africa landing party in both countries, has partnered with MTN Opco’s to complete the landings.

Mohammed Aliyu, Chief FibreCo Officer of Bayobab, added, “We want to deeply support the African continent’s capacity needs and provide the required digital infrastructure that can boost the digital economy. These cable landings lend further credence to our East2West project, which will enable us to bridge the digital divide in West Africa and the rest of the continent by supplying dark fibre access as well as active fibre capacity across more than 10 African countries, connecting several landlocked countries to subsea cables in the process”.

Nigeria and Ghana are set to play a key role in the growth of West Africa’s digital economy. Ghana is a strategic market and hub for bordering countries such as Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Ghana is also increasing its strategic importance in the WECA region, with the country now having six cable landings, including 2Africa, that facilitate quick and reliable internet speeds. The 2Africa cable will, therefore, go a long way towards transforming the region’s connectivity landscape.

The 2Africa consortium includes Bayobab, Center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC

By: Nana Appiah Acquaye