Google, WIOCC Cable Lands in Nigeria, To Boost GDP by $10.1b

Google and its cable landing partner the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC) have announced the first landing of the Equiano subsea Internet Cable in Lagos, to support further digital transformation in Nigeria.

A recent assessment by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics stated that once the state-of-the-art, high-capacity Equiano cable had become fully operational, this year, it is expected to yield numerous benefit for the country.

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Part of the benefit is said to increase internet speeds by a factor of six, Reduce internet retail prices by 21%, Increase internet penetration by six percentage points and most important is to boost GDP by USD 10.1 billion by 2025 and increase job creation by 1.6 million jobs by 2025

The Equino cable is as well expected to save 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum

A report from WIOCC says, the Nigerian government has also stepped up its digital transformation programs since 2017. These initiatives have proven crucial to the success of many industries in the country, especially the startup space. But studies suggest that faster internet connections, better user experiences, and reduced internet costs will further accelerate these benefits.

Commenting on the landing of Equiano in Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan, Director, West Africa at Google says “Google is committed to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and we are excited to see the impact of the landing of Equiano in Nigeria. We’ve worked with established partners and in-country experts to guarantee that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa.”

She added that “Equiano is set to make an enduring contribution towards the development of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure and today marks another major step in its development. We look forward to honouring our commitment to be part of Africa’s digital transformation”.

Chris Wood, Chief Executive Officer of WIOCC noted “We are proud to have been selected by Google as the landing partner for the Equiano cable in Nigeria, landing the cable directly into the OADC Lagos data centre. From there it will be extended to other data centres across Lagos.”