Submarine cables are essential for global interconnectivity, and as an added bonus they contribute to economic, educational and technological growth.
This is why Google has announced it is investing in the first undersea fiber optic cable between Africa and Australia, nicknamed Umoja, which will travel through East, Central and Southern Africa before diving beneath the Indian Ocean to reach the land below. reaches.
The investment also includes upgrades to Kenya’s cybersecurity through a partnership between the country’s Ministry of Information, Communications and The Digital Economy, and Google.
The fibers of unity
Many countries in Africa are experiencing high-impact power outages due to power constraints due to rapid urbanization without significant investment in energy infrastructure. The most common tactic to ensure that demand does not exceed supply is through a practice known as load shedding, in which parts of the electrical grid are turned off to conserve power.
The project is expected to help reduce internet disruptions, increase cyber resilience and eliminate current redundancies in network transmission across Africa. The blog post states that Umoja is the Swahili word for unity.
“Today, Google announced new investments in digital infrastructure and security initiatives designed to increase digital connectivity, accelerate economic growth, and deepen resilience across Africa,” said Brian Quigley, VP Global Network Infrastructure for Google Cloud.
Google has committed to digital transformation in Africa by pledging to invest $1 billion in the region over five years starting in 2021. To date, the company has spent $900 million and created billions of dollars in economic value by supporting economic growth and providing skills training. and supporting AI innovations in Africa.
Meg Whitman, US Ambassador to Kenya, said: “Access to the latest technology, supported by reliable and resilient digital infrastructure, is critical to growing economic opportunity. This is a meaningful moment for Kenya’s digital transformation journey and the benefits of today’s announcement will spread across the region.”
