After successfully landing its Equiano undersea cable in Togo last month, Google has announced that the cable will now land in Nigeria.
Google has partnered with West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC) to land the 12,000km subsea cable running from Portugal to the West Coast of Africa.
Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy. Still, the share of people using the internet stood at approximately 35% as of 2020 – double what it was in 2012. Across much of the country, people lack affordable, reliable and quality access, which limits their ability to benefit from, and contribute to, the digital economy. Google says landing this cable comes as part of critical stages leading up to its deployment later this year, and it is expected to deliver up to 20 times more capacity than the region’s prior cables.
“We’ve worked with established partners and in-country experts to ensure that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa“ Google’s West African Director, Juliet Ehimuan said in a blog post.
A recent economic impact assessment conducted by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics noted that Equiano’s arrival in Nigeria is expected to result in faster internet speeds and significantly improve people’s experiences while online. Internet speeds in Nigeria are expected to grow almost sixfold by 2025, and retail internet prices are forecasted to decline by 21% over the same period. The same study found that by 2025, real GDP in Nigeria is forecast to be USD 10.1 billion higher than it otherwise would have been without Equiano and that the cable would indirectly generate roughly 1.6 million new jobs between 2022 and 2025.
“With Equiano, we look forward to being an even more integral part of the digital transformation journey in Nigeria.“ Juliet added.
