BY ONOME AMUGE
Google, in collaboration with West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), Africa’s leading cable landing and network infrastructure supplier, has landed a state-of-the-art subsea cable in Lagos named Equiano, as part of Google’s $1 billion programme to build digital capacity in Africa and also, become a critical element in meeting Nigeria’s current and future international connectivity demands.
Named after Oluadah Equiano, the historical Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, the Equiano cable is designed to support further digital transformation in Nigeria, one of Africa’s fast-rising venture capital territories which has produced five of the seven start-up unicorns in the continent within the past five years.
With a design capacity roughly 20 times larger than any other cable currently serving the region, the subsea internet cable is expected to have a direct impact on connectivity, resulting in faster internet speeds, reduced internet prices and improved user experience in Nigeria.
The Equiano cable project, which commenced its journey in Portugal, western Europe, runs over 12,000km along the West Coast of Africa, initially landing in Lomé, capital city of Togo, onwards to Lagos, Nigeria, before 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.
A recent impact assessment study by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics commissioned by Google, stated that once the Equiano cable becomes fully operational later this year, it will increase internet speeds by a factor of six, reduce internet retail prices by 21 percent, increase internet penetration by six percentage points, and save 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum.
The development is also projected to boost Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) by $10.1 billion by 2025 and boost job creation by 1.6 million jobs by 2025.
Commenting on the landing of Equiano in Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan, director, West Africa, at Google said the multinational technology company is committed to supporting Africa’s digital transformation, adding that the Equiano cable is set to make an enduring contribution towards the development of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure.
“We are excited to see the impact of the landing of Equiano in Nigeria. We’ve worked with established partners and in-country experts to guarantee that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa,” Ehimuan added.
Chris Wood, chief executive officer of WIOCC, expressed excitement to have been selected by Google as the landing partner for the Equiano cable in Nigeria, which landed directly into the OADC Lagos data centre from where it will be extended to other data centres across Lagos.
Wood, however, noted that for the benefits of the cable to be fully felt throughout the country, hyperscale connectivity needs to be extended from the Lagos area to the rest of the country. To ensure this, he said WIOCC is deploying a comprehensive, hyperscale national fibre network set to go live in phases, starting in June 2022 and continuing through to the end of the year.
“When combined with the Equiano cable, this network will deliver transformational benefits across the country and will deliver improved internet quality, speeds and affordability to the people of Nigeria,” Wood said.
Speaking at the reception marking the landing of the Equiano sea cable system, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, noted that the establishment of the new Equiano cable system will bring about faster internet speeds, reduced cost, and greater access for the people, with the net effect resulting in creation of much- needed jobs and economic growth.
Citing projections of the project promoters, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that the landing of the Equiano cable will firmly position Nigeria as the regional connectivity and content hub for West Africa, attracting cloud operators, content providers, content distribution networks and their associated ecosystems.
“This is significant, and in my view a demonstration of the seriousness with which Google LLC views Nigeria, the economic and demographic giant of Africa.
“This new cable system is the latest element in the transformation of our physical infrastructure landscape. It joins a host of new roads, bridges, jetties, factories, municipal and national rail lines, and so on, being delivered by our administration and a host of partners and stakeholders across public and private sectors,” the governor said.
In addition to the cable system, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that WIOCC is presently completing, on this same site, a Tier III certified, Open Access Data Centre (OACD), which will host the landing station for the Equiano cable, designed to be the most client-centric data centre, and the largest data centre campus in West Africa.
“With all these investments in high-speed internet, Lagos is about to witness an unprecedented digital revolution that will cement our global reputation as a hub for entrepreneurial innovation,” the governor stated.
