The Vodafone Group has invested in one of the world’s largest subsea cable projects known as 2Africa, as part of an international consortium. The transformative subsea cable project is in line with Vodafone’s commitment to build a resilient future of connectivity and digitalisation for the African continent.
2Africa is one of the largest subsea projects in the world. The project, when completed, would connect 16 countries in Africa including Ghana with Europe and the Middle East, extending to Asia via the main Europe-to-Asia subsea cables. The new subsea cable project is expected to deliver more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180Tbps on key parts of the system.
2Africa will deliver the much-needed internet capacity and reliability across large parts of Africa including Ghana, underpinning the further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people whilst building a modern digital African society. This is crucial for local businesses and multinational companies looking to operate in Africa.
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The population connectivity of the African continent stands at 39%, lagging behind the global average of 59%. Increasing internet access and penetration in Africa has become critical as it also affects the Gross Domestic Performance (GDP) per capita growth. The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development in 2019 estimated that a broadband expansion of 10% would yield a 2.5% increase in GDP per capita.
Commenting on this groundbreaking initiative, Shoyinka Shodunke, Director of Technology at Vodafone Ghana said:
‘’2Africa is a major building block and an essential milestone in the digitization of Africa especially Ghana, as it will contribute to the Government of Ghana’s digital transformation initiatives. When completed between 2023 and 2024, this project which is in line with Vodafone’s mission to enrich our customers’ lives through the unique power of mobile communication, would deliver gigantic capacity and much-needed reliability and faster speed; reaffirming our commitment to our customers and Ghana. 2Africa is a critical success factor required to close the digital divide in Africa and provide a digitally enabled environment for local businesses and multinationals looking to expand to Ghana. This will certainly mark a new era of improved internet connectivity in the country and the whole of Africa.’’
As a result, millions of people across the African continent will get access to the internet where they could not before, whilst those with existing access will get a better online experience. This, in turn, will have a positive impact on communities, improve sectors such as healthcare and education, and build a more inclusive global digital society.
