The first cable to connect East and West Africa in a single, continuous system, linking Africa with the Middle East, South Asia and Europe, this achievement marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what is currently the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system, spanning three continents over 33 countries, connecting 3 billion people.

The 2Africa system, architected and led by Meta in collaboration with partners including Bayobab (MTN Group), Orange, center3, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, is set to transform connectivity for 3 billion people, including Africa’s 1.4 billion people over the next decade.

With cutting-edge technology, 2Africa brings more subsea capacity than all of Africa’s subsea cables, combined, today, delivering faster, more reliable and cost-effective internet access to consumers and enterprises alike.

2Africa lays the foundation for transformative new AI experiences, economic growth, and digital inclusion across the continent – with its completion serving as a testament to what can be achieved through visionary investment and robust collaboration.

At the just-concluded launch event, Meta reaffirmed its commitment to investing in Africa’s digital future.

“The completion of 2Africa is a monumental achievement, not just for Meta, but for the entire continent. This project demonstrates what’s possible when vision, investment and collaboration come together – unlocking new opportunities for millions of Africans, empowering businesses and helping to accelerate economic growth. At Meta, we are proud to be the architects of this transformative infrastructure and remain deeply committed to investing in Africa’s digital future, in partnership with the ecosystem.” said Kojo Boakye, vice president, Public Policy, Africa, Middle East & Türkiye at Meta.

The 2Africa consortium, composed of both private and public sector leaders, exemplifies the power of collaboration in building the longest subsea cable system in the world.

With the completion of 2Africa, millions of Africans will experience improved internet speeds, greater reliability and expanded access to digital services.

Enterprises will benefit from enhanced connectivity, driving innovation, economic growth and global competitiveness.

The event brought together multiple stakeholders from across the continent, including the Minister of Post, Telecoms and Digital Economy of the DRC, Jose Mpanda Kabangu; telecommunications regulators from Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Mozambique, and Angola; as well as other senior officials including from Kenya and Nigeria.

“Completing the core 2Africa system is a milestone for open, reliable capacity spanning three continents. We built 2Africa to be open by design so more providers can connect and people and businesses can get faster, more dependable service,” said Alex-Handrah Aime, vice president, Network Investments at Meta.

“Under the surface, it’s engineered for scale, reliability and to power the next wave of cloud and AI experiences. Above the surface, it’s about everyday impact, from a student downloading a textbook in seconds to small businesses and entrepreneurs reaching new customers online. 2Africa lays the groundwork for inclusive growth today and the innovations we haven’t imagined yet.”

2Africa marks a defining moment for Africa’s digital future. By leading the design, funding and deployment of the world’s longest open‑access subsea cable to date, Meta and its partners are laying the foundation for faster, more reliable internet, new digital jobs and the next generation of online experiences.

The event concluded with an awards ceremony, where Meta recognised consortium members, including Paul Gabla (VP, Sales and Marketing, ASN), Mazen Mroué (CEO, Bayobab), Dejan Kastelic (CTO, Vodacom), Philippe Mendribil (MEA Networks Transformation and Cost Optimization, Orange), and Chris Wood (CEO, WIOCC), for their outstanding collaboration in delivering 2Africa.

The celebration also featured a symbolic 2Africa cable light-up ceremony, marking a significant milestone in the partnership.

Known as ‘2Africa,’ the cable landing station is at Mopo-Onibeju Lekki area of Lagos.

2Africa is said to be the longest under-water 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 Sarouk, managing director, Bayobab Nigeria, the cable will directly support economic development in Africa, fostering further growth of 4G, 5G and increased 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.

PHOTO NEWS:

Bayobab Group, as part of the 2Africa consortium, confirmed that the cable has landed in Lagos Nigeria.

The 2Africa consortium comprised of Bayobab, center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, is developing the world’s largest subsea cable project.

Techeconomy also gathered that Dr. Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, will officially announce the landing of the cable in Nigeria.

These landings are the third and fourth for Bayobab as part of a series of six landings across five countries, including three locations in West Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire as well as South Africa.

“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,” said Frédéric Schepens, CEO of Bayobab.

“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.”

Through these landings Ghanaian and Nigerian service providers have access to capacity in carrier-neutral data centres or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis.

It will also support a healthy internet ecosystem development by enhancing internet accessibility for businesses across all sectors and customers. Bayobab partnered with MTN Opco’s to complete the cable landings.

“We want to deeply support the African continent’s capacity needs and provide the required digital infrastructure that can boost the digital economy,” added Mohammed Aliyu, chief fibreco officer at Bayobab.

“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. The 2Africa cable will, therefore, go a long way towards transforming the region’s connectivity landscape.

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