Google has unveiled plans to build Umoja Fiber, the first subsea fiber optic cable connecting Africa and Australia. Anchored in Kenya, the cable will traverse Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, before crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia. This ambitious project is part of the Africa Connect initiative, joining forces with Equiano to enhance connectivity across the continent.
Umoja Fiber’s terrestrial route has been developed in collaboration with Liquid Technologies, providing a scalable network through Africa with strategic access points for additional countries to benefit from the enhanced connectivity. By establishing a new, distinct route, Umoja aims to maintain a resilient network, crucial for a region prone to high-impact outages.
Brian Quigley, Google Cloud’s VP for global network infrastructure, highlighted the significance of Umoja, stating, “Umoja will enable African countries to more reliably connect with each other and the rest of the world.” He emphasized the importance of this initiative in maintaining a resilient network for Africa, which has historically faced substantial connectivity challenges.
The announcement comes in response to recent widespread outages across Africa, often caused by undersea fiber cuts. In March, an underwater rock slide off the coast of Cote d’Ivoire led to several submarine cables going offline, impacting 13 countries on the West African seaboard. A similar incident occurred this month, affecting internet services across East and South Africa.
Umoja, meaning “unity” in Swahili, represents a collaborative effort between leaders across Africa and Australia. This partnership aims to deliver Africa Connect to people, businesses, and governments, fostering a more reliable and robust digital infrastructure for the region.
Meg Whitman, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, remarked, “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 cascade across the region.”
