Subsea cable experts and digital infrastructure stakeholders are calling for a dedicated local base and specialized cable ship in Africa to address the continent’s subsea cable repair challenges.
Currently, subsea cable ships are strategically placed worldwide, on 24-hour standby for repairs. However, Africa lacks a dedicated cable ship, which leads to prolonged downtime and significant service disruptions when outages occur. Abayomi Adebanjo, Director of Legal at MainOne, solutions by Equinix, raised these concerns during the International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Adebanjo highlighted key challenges in subsea cable repairs, including logistical delays, lengthy repair timelines (4-6 weeks), and high costs, with repairs often reaching $2 million per outage, plus $300+ daily fees per personnel. A significant bottleneck is the regulatory permitting process, which can take up to 4 weeks, further delaying repair efforts and affecting critical communication, data transfer, and connectivity services.
To mitigate these issues, Adebanjo advocated for a dedicated logistical base and cable vessels in Africa, which would enable faster repairs and more efficient responses. He also suggested streamlining the regulatory process by creating a unified “one-stop-shop” permitting system. Currently, multiple authorities such as Customs and Maritime must be engaged, causing inefficiencies.
The summit, which runs from February 26–27, 2025, serves as a platform for stakeholders to discuss solutions to subsea cable infrastructure challenges, particularly in light of growing global threats. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, underscored the importance of securing submarine cable networks, describing them as the backbone of the digital economy. As Nigeria aims for a $1 trillion economy, he emphasized the need for robust digital infrastructure to maintain a competitive edge.
The summit is expected to attract over 50 countries and 250 global stakeholders. Tomas Lamanauskas, ITU Deputy Secretary-General, noted that discussions would focus on addressing the increasing threats to undersea cable infrastructure, with participation from government, private sector, and technology experts.
The need for improved resilience became evident after a subsea cable fault off the coasts of Senegal and Ivory Coast in March 2024 caused widespread outages across Africa, including Nigeria. This incident highlighted the vulnerability of Africa’s digital infrastructure and the urgent need for coordinated solutions to safeguard the continent’s communication and economic activities.
