Google has announced that earlier today, Equiano, a subsea internet cable running through Portugal to South Africa landed in Lagos, Nigeria.
This announcement is coming a month after Equiano first landed on the African continent in Togo. The Equiano cable is expected to run more than 12,000km along the West Coast of Africa later landing in Swakopmund, Namibia; Rupert’s Bay, Saint Helena and Melkbosstrand, South Africa; establishing a valuable new high-capacity connection between the African continent and Europe.
The project, which is named after Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, is expected to help support further digital transformation in Nigeria, a country with a thriving tech ecosystem. Equiano is expected to boost Nigeria’s GDP by $10.1 billion, increase internet speed by a factor of 6 and create 1.6 million jobs by 2025, according to a recent impact assessment study by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics.
“Google is committed to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and we are excited to see the impact of the landing of Equiano in Nigeria,” Juliet Ehimuan, Director, West Africa at Google said. “We’ve worked with established partners and in-country experts to guarantee that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa.”
This announcement marks a milestone in Google’s plan to provide affordable internet access in Africa by building global infrastructure to help bring faster internet to more people and lower connectivity costs. Last October, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a plan to invest $1billion over 5 years to support digital transformation in Africa, of which project Equiano is part.
