Africa’s digital economy is entering a new infrastructure race, and Nigeria is right at the centre of it.
French telecom giant Orange and its partners are planning a massive 20,000-kilometre subsea cable that could reshape internet connectivity between Africa and Europe at a time when artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, and digital services are driving record data demand across the continent.
The project, known as Via Africa, will run along the Atlantic corridor and connect several African countries directly to Europe through a new route designed to reduce the risk of widespread internet outages.
For Nigeria, Africa’s largest internet and data market, the project could strengthen the country’s growing position as one of the continent’s most important digital gateways.
The country already hosts eight submarine cables, more than any other West African nation, including systems such as Google’s Equiano cable and the Meta-backed 2Africa network.
