Technicians lay underwater cables along the coast to enhance Africa’s digital infrastructure and connectivity.
Meta-backed 2Africa has become the world’s longest subsea cable, stretching 45,000 kilometers to connect Africa directly with Europe and Asia, marking a turning point in the continent’s digital infrastructure. With the core African loop now complete, countries like Egypt sit at the center of global data traffic, carrying nearly 17% of the world’s internet flows. Yet experts warn that Africa risks remaining a mere data transit corridor rather than becoming a true digital platform. The challenge lies not in the cable itself, but in the supporting ecosystem on land, including affordable access, reliable power, and local data centers. To capitalize on this connectivity, nations must develop competitive local markets and enforce open-access policies to make processing data domestically cheaper than exporting it. Success, experts argue, hinges on transforming this logistical advantage into tangible economic value through broad digital inclusion and regional cooperation.
African Business