Nigeria has signed a bilateral agreement with Equatorial Guinea to deploy a new subsea fibre-optic cable aimed at expanding broadband capacity, strengthening digital communications as well as improving cybersecurity cooperation across West and Central Africa.
The deal was confirmed yesterday by the Nigerian State House Media, following a signing ceremony in Malabo.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the project builds on President Bola Tinubu’s August 2024 visit to the Central African nation, during which both countries committed to deeper economic and digital ties.
According to Tuggar, the submarine cable will provide high-capacity broadband connectivity considered critical for regional integration, cross-border data security and future-ready digital infrastructure across Africa.
The partnership comes as African governments push to lower internet costs and improve network reliability.
Nigeria is already connected to at least seven international submarine systems including MainOne, Glo-1, Equiano and 2Africa making it one of the continent’s largest landing hubs.
Equatorial Guinea, by contrast, relies largely on limited links such as the Africa Coast to Europe cable.
Industry data suggest such investment by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea can sharply reduce prices.
A 2025 study by the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development found that doubling international submarine capacity can cut fixed broadband costs by up to 32 percent and mobile broadband prices by nearly 50 percent.
The World Bank also reports similar gains in affordability and resilience.
Officials say the new fibre is expected to improve redundancy, attract technology investment and support growing demand for cloud services, fintech and e-government platforms across the region, although timelines and technical details have yet to be disclosed.
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