Sparkle, Telecom Italia’s (TIM) international wholesale arm, and first international service provider in Italy, has partnered with Kush Investments, a UAE-based firm to provide virtual fibers on the Equiano subsea cable connecting South Africa, Nigeria and Portugal. This move is expected to enhance its digital infrastructure and enable the development of new business opportunities and projects in the telecommunications sector in West Africa.

Mohammed Yusef, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Kush Investments, expressed the purpose of this second infrastructure investment as completing the digital coverage of the Sub-Saharan region. He asserted that the collaboration with Sparkle is expected to open up new possibilities and ventures within the telecommunications sector in West Africa, as it strengthens Kush Investments’ ICT infrastructure portfolio. “We are extremely pleased to partner with Sparkle on these initiatives and look forward to implementing new projects to drive the continued growth of the digital ecosystem in the years to come”, he said

The Equiano subsea cable, which links South Africa, Nigeria, and Portugal, plays a pivotal role in this partnership. By acquiring virtual fiber on this cable, Kush Investments positions itself to harness the immense potential for business growth and projects in West African telecommunications.

Enrico Bagnasco, the CEO of Sparkle, expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, emphasizing a shared vision with Kush Investments regarding the acceleration of international telecommunication infrastructure development to support Africa’s digital growth. “We are also proud to see how our recent acquisition on Equiano is already proving to be key to implementing our vision on the evolution of the telecom sector in the continent”, said Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle.

This agreement follows a prior arrangement from last June, where Sparkle secured virtual fiber on the upcoming Blue & Raman subsea cable systems, which will connect Djibouti and Europe. This initiative is expected to contribute to the digitalization of East Africa.

Sparkle owns and manages a network of more than 600,000 km of fiber spanning from Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the Americas and Asia.