Via Africa: Strengthening Digital Connectivity Between Europe and Africa

A consortium of major telecommunications and digital infrastructure players has officially launched the “Via Africa” project, a significant subsea cable initiative designed to bolster connectivity between Europe, and Africa. By establishing a new, robust route along the Atlantic coast, the project aims to support the continent’s rapidly growing data traffic and enhance the resilience of international digital networks.

A Strategic Subsea Infrastructure

The Via Africa system is designed to create a comprehensive link between Europe and South Africa. The project scope includes strategic landing points in the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal. Along the African coastline, the cable is slated to connect key locations, including the Canary Islands, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. The consortium plans to extend the route further south to improve regional connectivity diversity and ensure greater network stability.

According to the Orange Group, the initiative is a direct response to the increasing demand for digital capacity. By providing an alternative subsea route, the project seeks to mitigate risks associated with existing infrastructure and provide a more reliable, diversified network for countries along the Atlantic corridor.

The Consortium Model

The Via Africa project is structured as a consortium, a model chosen to provide participating partners with greater autonomy and sovereignty. This collaborative approach allows investors to co-invest in the infrastructure and participate directly in its governance. Partners involved in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) include:

• Orange Group
• Orange Côte d’Ivoire
• Sonatel
• Canalink
• GUILAB
• International Mauritania Telecom
• Silverlinks

This governance structure ensures that all partners have a voice in critical decisions, including system design, deployment strategies, and the long-term exploitation of the cable. The consortium has also indicated that the project remains open to additional partners who may wish to join in future phases.

Next Steps for Development

The project is currently in its initial phase, with members focusing on the technical and economic foundations of the system. The consortium has committed to jointly funding a comprehensive cable route study. This study is essential to determine the most efficient and resilient path for the subsea system, balancing technical requirements with the economic realities of large-scale infrastructure deployment.

Once the route is finalized, the next major milestone will be the launch of a procurement process. This process will identify and select the primary cable supplier responsible for the development and installation of the Via Africa system. By prioritizing this collaborative development phase, the consortium aims to ensure that the infrastructure meets the long-term digital needs of the African continent.

Key Takeaways

• Enhanced Connectivity: The Via Africa system will connect Europe to South Africa, with multiple landing points along the Atlantic coast.
• Collaborative Governance: Managed via a consortium model, the project allows partners to co-invest and influence system design and operation.
• Strategic Resilience: The cable serves as an alternative route to existing infrastructure, significantly improving network redundancy.
• Future-Proofing: The initiative is designed to support the ongoing growth of data traffic across Africa.

As digital transformation accelerates across the globe, projects like Via Africa represent a vital investment in the underlying architecture of the internet. By strengthening the digital corridors between Europe and Africa, the consortium is laying the groundwork for more reliable, high-capacity communication for years to come.