Orange-backed subsea cable to connect Nigeria, 19 other countries

Orange, a global telecommunications company, is backing a new 20,000-kilometre subsea cable project aimed at improving internet connectivity between Nigeria, other African nations, and Europe.

The project, known as Via Africa, is being developed by a consortium led by Orange and is expected to connect nearly 20 countries across Africa and Europe through a new Atlantic Ocean route.

The cable system is designed to strengthen internet resilience and reduce the risk of widespread outages caused by damage to existing submarine cables.

Nigeria, which already hosts eight submarine cables, remains one of Africa’s biggest internet and data markets. However, the country continues to experience fibre cuts, vandalism, and network congestion amid growing demand for digital services.

Michael Trabbia, CEO of Orange Wholesale, said the project is intended to create alternative connectivity routes that can keep internet services running even when one cable is damaged.

“Every two days somewhere in the world you have a cable cut or failure,” Trabbia said, noting that multiple routes are necessary to avoid single points of failure.

Orange said the Via Africa cable will travel through the Atlantic corridor rather than relying mainly on Mediterranean pathways used by some existing systems.

The project is also expected to terminate in major data centres, potentially attracting cloud providers and hyperscalers seeking to expand digital infrastructure investments in Africa.

The consortium behind the project includes Canalink, GUILAB, International Mauritania Telecom, Orange Côte d’Ivoire, Sonatel, and Silverlinks. Additional partners are expected to join before construction begins.

Orange estimates the project could take between three and four years to complete once consortium arrangements are finalised.

The company also said the cable would include enhanced protection technologies to reduce damage from ship anchors and marine activities, which are among the major causes of subsea cable disruptions globally.

The announcement comes as African countries increase investments in digital infrastructure to support rising demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, fintech, and online services.

Recent outages affecting submarine cables along the West African coast disrupted banking platforms, telecom services, and enterprise operations across several countries, highlighting the continent’s dependence on limited connectivity routes.