As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, Africa's digital transformation is not merely a regional matter but a global imperative. By addressing the internet connectivity challenges, the continent can unleash its entrepreneurial spirit, boost trade diversification, and pave the way for sustained economic growth and social progress, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and prosperous global digital landscape.

In the 21st century, the internet has become the nervous system of our global society, intricately weaving together the fabric of modern life. This vast network of interconnected computers and devices has revolutionized how we communicate, work, learn, and interact with the world around us. From instant messaging and video calls that bridge continents, to e-commerce platforms that have redefined retail, to streaming services that have transformed entertainment, the internet's influence permeates every aspect of our daily lives.

In education, online learning platforms and digital resources have democratized access to knowledge, allowing students from diverse backgrounds to tap into a wealth of information previously unimaginable. The business world has been equally transformed, with remote work, cloud computing, and digital marketing becoming integral to operations across industries. Healthcare has seen advancements through telemedicine and the rapid sharing of medical research, while governments leverage digital platforms to enhance public services and citizen engagement.

Social media has reshaped how we connect, share experiences, and form communities, transcending geographical boundaries. The internet of things (IoT) is ushering in an era of smart homes and cities, promising increased efficiency and improved quality of life. Meanwhile, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in the digital realm.

However, as our reliance on the internet grows, so does the imperative to address its challenges. Issues of digital divide, cybersecurity, privacy concerns, and the spread of misinformation underscore the need for robust infrastructure, thoughtful policies, and digital literacy. The resilience of this global network becomes paramount, particularly in regions where internet connectivity is still developing.

On the morning of March 14 2024, somewhere off the West Coast shore of West Africa between Senegal and Cote D'Ivoire, a number of submarine cables that deliver internet to millions of people across more than 13 African countries went offline and internet supply was hobbled. It was later determined these were the consequences of an underwater rock slide. The estimated timeline for complete restoration was set at 5 weeks. Throughout this period, those affected would have to deal with intermittent internet, disrupted online services, difficulties in accessing funds and managing finances for those dependent on online banking, and delays in crucial communications. Businesses relying on digital tools shared their experiences on social media, discussing the challenges they faced with transactions, customer communication, and remote work. The impact of the fault was felt across nearly all sectors.

Two months later, on 11th May 2024, another major outage occurred. This time on the East coast of Africa. The outage affected digital services in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and several other nations. Internet Service Providers from various countries shared communications on various platforms acknowledging that they were 'experiencing challenges'.

Sections of two subsea cables, EASSy and SEACOM, had been damaged somewhere in the waters between South Africa and Mozambique. EASSy is a 10,000km cable running along the East African coast with landing points in Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Comoros, Mozambique and South Africa. SEACOM is a 17,000km subsea cable connecting Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, Mozambique South Africa, France, and India. These two cables serve as critical parts of the internet connectivity backbone for at least 12 African nations, some of which are landlocked. 

The outage had a significant negative impact on internet related services in the affected nations. Major retailers and Internet service providers sent out communication to their customers informing them of “a network-related issue impacting services both online and in-store…”. For countries that depend on more than just the two affected subsea cables for internet, the impact was felt less than in those where the two submarine cables contribute a majority of their internet bandwidth requirements. Countries such as Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya were back to 80% of normal internet capacity within 24 hours after rerouting Internet traffic via other cables. Meanwhile, countries such as Tanzania which depend largely on SEACOM and EASSy were still reeling with internet bandwidth still lower than a third of normal capacity within the same 24 hr period as reported by Internet traffic monitor Netblocks.

Submarine cables are a specific type of fiber optic cable that is laid on the ocean floor to connect continents and regions across the world. These cables form the backbone of the global telecommunications network, enabling long-distance transmission of data for internet and other communications purposes. The vast majority of international internet traffic is carried through these submarine cables.

Africa's reliance on undersea cables for internet connectivity is relatively new. In the early 2000s, there was only one submarine cable connecting Africa to the internet. As of 2021, of the 38 African countries that have a coastline, 37 had at least one submarine cable landing. Most had only one undersea cable, fewer had more than three. The latest connection to be commissioned on the continent was the Djibouti Africa Regional Express (DARE-1) submarine cable.The 4,900km line which connects Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya became active in 2021 after more than five years of work. DARE-1 was a joint project by a consortium made up of Djibouti Telecom, Somtel, Hor- muud Telecom and Telkom Kenya. 

Disparities in connectivity across the continent are to be expected given the varying geographical, economic, and political landscapes of African nations. Factors such as infrastructure development, government policies, and private sector investments play significant roles in shaping the extent and quality of internet access within each country. Unarguably, the number of submarine cables terminating in Africa has grown considerably since 2000 when the SEA-ME-WE3 cable, stretching from Germany, connected to Egypt and Djibouti. Still, only about 5% of the total number of submarine cables globally provide internet to African countries.

Vulnerabilities regarding Africa's reliance on undersea cables for internet connectivity have been revealed over the years. In 2018, a fault in a line serving Mauritania caused a total internet blackout for two days. In 2020, two faults along the cables serving Africa were discovered. These kinds of faults can occur due to natural phenomena like seismic activity, underwater landslides, and geological shifts, or from human activities such as through damage from fishing trawlers whose nets or anchors can sometimes drag along the seafloor and cause significant harm.

The service sector accounts for a significant proportion of Africa’s GDP. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular, play a significant role in facilitating trade in services and developing service sector value chains in Africa. These enterprises, which make up more than 80% of all businesses in the region, are responsible for employing approximately 60% of the workforce. As African nations seek ways to diversify their economies, they have to support and sustain progress on the areas they have already managed to do well in. Investing in new sectors should not come at the detriment of sectors which have already shown promise. Reliable, accessible, and affordable internet is a table stakes matter for success in the service sector. Affordable and ubiquitous access to reliable internet will greatly empower African entrepreneurs to create more opportunities that lead to growth and boost trade diversification.

In following the adage about eggs and baskets, Africa needs more internet baskets to put its eggs in. And when we say more baskets we mean more submarine cables connecting Africa to the rest of the world. The capacity and latency limitations of satellite communication technology mean that fiber optic submarine cables remain the dominant method for moving large volumes of data worldwide. While satellite internet is a good alternative in times of crisis, the most dependable network for internet connectivity remains laying undersea cables. The bull case has been made for how better digital connectivity leads to better economic and social outcomes in general. According to IMF forecasts for the years 2024 and 2025, some of the Sub-saharan countries expected to have the biggest growth spurts are those which have higher internet penetration and digital literacy levels. 

China is one of several players who have already made successful investments that improve digital connectivity. Chinese-owned companies have invested in cable initiatives that establish connections between Africa and Europe. One notable example is China Unicom which holds a significant investment position in the SAIL cable project linking Brazil to Cameroon. Another company, China Mobile, is a crucial player in the 2Africa consortium, which is currently laying a subsea cable between Africa and Europe. Once completed, the 2Africa cable will connect more than 30 countries across Africa, Europe, and Asia via the main Europe-to-Asia subsea cables. At 45,000km, it will be one of the longest subsea cables ever deployed. Investor partners in the 2Africa cable project signed the MoU in 2018, following which the cable system was launched in 2020 and has been under various stages of deployment ever since. According to the official 2Africa website, the cable is expected to be completed in 2024.

Still, more baskets are needed to ensure a strong line of resilience that protects the interest of African people, providing a series of fallbacks for when one basket starts leaking and needs to be patched.