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Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has stressed the need for stronger global submarine cable resilience, describing the infrastructure as the backbone of the digital economy.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, he noted that as Nigeria pushes towards a $1tn economy, securing the country’s submarine cable network is essential to maintaining a competitive and value-driven digital space.
Tijani highlighted the government’s commitment to enhancing digital connectivity and ensuring that submarine cable infrastructure is protected against disruptions.
He said Nigeria recognised the critical role these cables play in supporting digital technologies and economic growth, adding that the federal government was keen on exploring ways to accelerate the country’s digital economy.
The minister also announced that the country is investing $2bn on 90,000 kilometres of submarine cable as a move to strengthen internet connectivity and enhance its target of achieving a $1tn economy.
“About 90 per cent of the traffic that we get on the internet is based on the quality of the subsea cables. This is not something that the general public is aware of. The challenge is that as we continue to drive a stronger digital economy, it is important that we ensure the resilience of that infrastructure that is the real backbone of the digital economy.
“Nigeria, as you know, is on a mission to drive our economy towards becoming a $1 trillion economy, which is a commitment that the president has already made and the entire cabinet is working towards.
“We see a strong role for digital technologies in that process, that for us to truly leapfrog our sectors and make them a lot more competitive, drive the value that we want to see for society, the digital economy has a role to play. Which is why whatever we believe will strengthen that agenda is important for us,” he said.
The International Telecommunication Union has confirmed that 50 countries will gather in Abuja for Nigeria’s maiden International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit, which will bring together over 250 stakeholders from across the globe.
ITU Deputy Secretary-General, Tomas Lamanauskas, said the meeting would focus on solutions to the increasing threats facing undersea cable infrastructure, with experts from the government, the private sector, cable operators, and the technology sector expected to participate.
Lamanauskas said submarine cables remained the foundation of global digital connectivity, as they carried most of the world’s data traffic and enabled seamless communication between continents.
He explained that even satellite communications relied on undersea cables for fast and efficient transmission of data across long distances.
“The digital world really depends on submarine cables, because they carry the bulk of the traffic and ensure that the traffic across the continents is carried around and the continents are connected digitally,” he said.
“Even the traffic that goes up to the satellites goes back to the submarine cables to be fastly carried across the globe, because that’s the technology that makes sure that across long distances people can have very fast connections.”
He pointed to last year’s massive undersea cable disruption in West Africa, which affected 13 countries, including Nigeria, as a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen resilience.
The incident, caused by undersea earthquakes, led to widespread internet outages, affecting banks, stock exchanges, and mobile money services.
“The four submarine cables were cut off the coast due to the natural causes of the underwater earthquakes,” he said.
Lamanauskas praised Nigeria for taking the lead in hosting the summit, adding that the country had demonstrated a strong commitment to digital resilience by recognising submarine cables as critical national infrastructure.
“We expect 50 countries at this summit. We’re expecting around 250 people here in Abuja, experts from both governments as well as the private sector, the biggest submarine cable layers, the governments through which these cables are passing, as well as different vendors, academia, and others who really are engaged in these debates to come here in Abuja to discuss how to strengthen cable resilience,” he said.
He said discussions would focus on crisis management, recovery efforts, technology innovations, and maintenance strategies to improve the stability of submarine cable systems.
He added that the ITU would work with countries to ensure that they were not overly reliant on a single cable, helping to reduce the risk of complete disconnection during disruptions.
In March last year, an undersea cable fault off the coasts of Senegal and Ivory Coast triggered a digital blackout across several African countries, including Nigeria, where banks and telecommunication networks experienced widespread outages.
Similar disruptions were recorded near Portugal, highlighting the vulnerability of the global cable system.
With the summit set to take place on February 26 and 27, Nigeria is positioning itself as a global leader in submarine cable resilience.
