Kojo Boakye, Meta’s Vice President for Africa, the Middle-East, and Turkey, led a delegation to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) headquarters in Abuja to seek regulatory support from the NCC for Meta’s ambitious 2Africa submarine cable project.
In his meeting with the Nigerian Communications Commission, Kojo Boakye assured the EVC of Meta’s dedication to the 2Africa project. According to him, the purpose of the visit was to congratulate the EVC on his appointment and to update him on Meta’s efforts. Boakye sought NCC’s support to navigate legal and regulatory hurdles, ensuring the successful landing of the submarine cable in Nigeria.
The 2Africa cable, spanning 45,000 kilometers, aims to become one of the world’s largest subsea cable initiatives, interconnecting Europe (via Egypt), Asia (via Saudi Arabia), and Africa. Boasting a design capacity of up to 180 terabytes per second (Tbps), the cable was expected to go live in 2023, significantly enhancing Internet capacity and reliability across the African continent.
During the meeting with Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Boakye emphasized Meta’s commitment to landing the 2Africa cable in Nigeria. He outlined ongoing efforts to navigate legal and regulatory processes, seeking the NCC’s support to facilitate the cable’s landing. Boakye revealed Meta’s consortium plans to land the cable simultaneously in Lagos and Akwa-Ibom states, contributing to expanded connectivity and improved access in Nigeria. However, despite its initial projections, the 2Africa cable did not meet its November landing deadline in Lagos and Akwa Ibom, according to a press release from the NCC.
At the heart of this initiative is the Nigerian government’s anticipation of the cable’s landing. Abdullahi Kashifu, Director General of the National Information Technology Development of Nigeria (NITDA), emphasized the importance of the cables in boosting digital infrastructure and broadband penetration.
As Meta continues its efforts to bring enhanced connectivity to Nigeria, the NCC expressed its commitment to supporting investors and operators adhering to the sector’s rules and regulations.
