Google’s Equiano Cable Lands In Nigeria, To Improve Economy And Internet Speed

Google Africa has announced the arrival of its Equiano submarine cable in Lagos, Nigeria, which will improve broadband penetration and digital economy in the country.

Google Equiano Submarine Cable Lands In Lagos

The director of Google West Africa, Juliet Ehimuan, who disclosed this in a note, said the cable landed in Lagos on Thursday, April 21, 2022, making it its second successful landing in Africa after it reached Togo last month.

The cable, named after Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, is among the first in a series of landings in Africa for the subsea cable and is expected to run from Portugal along Africa’s west coast to South Africa.

Ehimuan said the Equiano cable would contribute $10 billion to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025, and indirectly generate roughly 1.6 million new jobs within the same period.

She added that the cable will also deliver twenty times as much network capacity as any of the existing systems serving Nigeria and this means much faster internet speeds, reduced cost, and greater access for our people.

The statement reads, “Today, we’re thrilled to announce our second Africa landing in Lagos, Nigeria. While many subsea cables are named after historical luminaries, the Equiano cable has special resonance for Nigeria. It’s named after Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, so it’s landing in Lagos, Nigeria today is like a homecoming.

“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 & quality access, which limits their ability to benefit from, and contribute to, the digital economy.

“Since 2017, the Nigerian government has been actively working on its digital transformation programs as part of plans to grow its domestic sectors.

“These initiatives have proven pivotal to the success of many industries in the country, especially the startup space. In the last five years, startups in Nigeria have produced five unicorns (startups valued at over a billion dollars).

“Businesses are also benefiting significantly from the usage of internet platforms, with total e-commerce annual expenditure predicted to climb to $75 billion by 2025, up from its current projection of US $12 billion.

“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 six-fold 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.

“We are partnering with multiple key telecom players, including our landing party, the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), where Equiano lands to ensure that the cable can reach more businesses and end-users across Nigeria and the African continent more broadly.

“With Equiano, we look forward to being an even more integral part of the digital transformation journey in Nigeria,” the statement added.

KanyiDaily recalls that Google had also announced plans to expand itś Digital Skills for Africa program to reach children in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.