Opinion How new undersea cable will boost Africa’s connectivity and growth Internet traffic will no longer have to travel via Europe to reach busy hubs in the Americas BL PREMIUM

In 1994, there were more telephone lines in New York City than there were in the whole of Africa. Over the next two decades, digital transformation picked up speed drastically. Today, the continent is teeming with pioneers building "digital bridges" within and between villages, countries and continents, as well as connecting Africa to the global economy and research communities. Yet many parts of Africa continue to play catch-up with the rest of the world in terms of the control and directness of subsea fibre optic connectivity. This challenge appears to be a colonial artefact, as the continent has arguably faced more geographic, political and economic barriers to its development than other regions. Fortunately, this is about to change, representing a symbolic "Africa first" shift for the continent in terms of its self-determination and autonomy in the telecommunications arena. For countries in sub-Saharan Africa, it presents an opportunity to leapfrog other countries. For regions o...