Despite ongoing demolitions of properties and recreational centres in Lagos to expedite the construction of the highway, telecom operators have stated they had not been consulted on potential risks or mitigation measures.

The lack of dialogue with the government has prompted telcos to caution Hitech Construction, the firm handling the project, to exercise vigilance to prevent damage to critical national infrastructure along the coastal lines.

Punch report quoted the Gbenga Adebayo, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, saying,

“There hasn’t been any damage done or any incident, and we haven’t been consulted as well. I think the message is clear: caution has to be taken while working in that quadrant. So, so far, no notice and no consultation.”

The coastal corridor of the Lagos-Calabar highway plays a pivotal role as a landing site for several submarine cables linking Nigeria to Europe.

These cables, such as the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, Glo1, ACE, and NCSCS, are essential for facilitating international communications and data transmission within the country.

Also commenting, Tony Emoekpere, the president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria said that while there was no official invitation, there was a publication indicating the government’s invitation for stakeholder consultations.

However, he stressed the importance of proactive engagement to address potential risks and ensure the protection of vital infrastructure.

“I got the information that the coastal highway may not really impact or disrupt some areas. However, I have seen a publication indicating that the Federal Government invited stakeholders for consultation,” he said.

He allayed fears that some areas along the coastal corridors may not be impacted by the highway construction.

[Source]

NetBlocks, in a post on its verified X hande, stated,

“Network data show a disruption to Internet connectivity in and around multiple East African countries.”

It was noted that Tanzania and the French Island of Mayotte were experiencing a high impact on Internet connectivity, while Mozambique and Malawi were seeing a medium impact.

https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1789660992902730235

Another Internet firm, Cloudflare, also confirmed on X that connectivity disruptions were ongoing in Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

Earlier, Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest telecoms operator, announced that it had activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep subscribers connected as they await the full restoration of the cable.

The telecom operator, however, said subscribers would experience reduced Internet speeds.

In March 2024, internet disruptions were reported in West African countries including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, as well as South Africa.

The outages were attributed to damage to four sub-sea cables off the west coast of Africa, which disrupted connectivity across the continent.

The affected cables included the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, South Atlantic 3, and ACE sea cables, which are critical for telecommunications data.

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