FG plans global collaboration for undersea cable protection

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has announced plans to spearhead a global collaboration aimed at enhancing the protection of undersea cables.

The minister disclosed this on X (former Twitter) on Sunday.

Recognising the critical role these cables play in the digital economy, Tijani emphasized the need to review international laws and foster partnerships with regional and global bodies to accelerate efforts to safeguard the vital infrastructure.

Assuring those affected by the disruptions, Tijani stated that the Nigerian Communications Commission was actively working with all relevant stakeholders to swiftly resolve the issues at hand.

According to him, the initiative marks a significant step towards ensuring the resilience and reliability of undersea cables, crucial lifelines in today’s interconnected world.

On Thursday, cuts to the undersea cable supplying broadband Internet connectivity to Nigeria and countries in the West African sub-region forced many banks and other financial institutions, as well as telecom companies and allied firms, to scale down their operations.

Cable companies—West African Cable System and African Coast to Europe in the West Coast route from Europe—have experienced faults, while SAT3 and MainOne have downtime.

The minister said submarine cable cuts, while disruptive, are proving to be a catalyst for resilience and growth in our digital economy.

He commended the telcos, Globacom, West Indian Ocean Cable Company, MTN, and MainOne, who have demonstrated commendable selflessness by collaborating to mitigate the impact of these cuts.

Tijani wrote, “I must commend the selflessness shown by the leadership of @GloWorld @WIOCC_ @MTNNG @Mainoneservice and the entire sector in coming together to limit the impact of the cuts. Your actions are helping us all to better prepare for the future.

“This is also an opportunity for us to review international laws and collaborations to adequately protect undersea cables, and I will be engaging regional and global bodies to accelerate efforts on this crucial agenda.

“To those experiencing disruption, please rest assured that @NgComCommission is working with all key stakeholders to resolve the matter in the shortest possible time.”