Google has announced plans to construct a new fiber optic cable named Umoja, which will connect Africa to Australia.
The announcement was made on Thursday via tech giant’s official blog.
The Umoja cable, anchored in Kenya, will traverse through Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa before crossing the Indian Ocean to reach Australia. This project marks the first-ever fiber optic route to directly link Africa with Australia.
In collaboration with Liquid Technologies, the terrestrial path of Umoja will form a highly scalable route through Africa, including access points to enable other countries to benefit from the network. Google highlighted that the project is made possible through partnerships with leaders across Africa and Australia, aiming to connect African people, businesses, and governments.
U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, praised the initiative, emphasizing the importance of reliable and resilient digital infrastructure in fostering economic opportunities. “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,” she said.
Dr. William S. Ruto, President of Kenya, also expressed his enthusiasm for Google’s investment in digital connectivity, noting the historic significance of the project for Kenya, Africa, and Australia. He emphasized the enhancement of the region’s connectivity resilience in the face of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables. “This initiative is crucial in ensuring the redundancy and resilience of our region’s connectivity to the rest of the world, especially in light of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables. By strengthening our digital backbone, we are not only improving reliability but also paving the way for increased digital inclusion, innovation, and economic opportunities for our people and businesses,” Dr. Ruto stated.
Australian Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland MP, welcomed the project, highlighting its importance in diversifying Australia’s connectivity and supporting global digital inclusion. “Diversifying Australia’s connectivity and supporting digital inclusion across the globe are both incredibly important objectives, and Google’s Umoja cable will help to do just that. Australia welcomes Google’s investment and congratulates all those involved in undertaking this crucial initiative,” she said.
Umoja, which means ‘unity’ in Swahili, is part of Google’s Africa Connect initiative, which includes the previously launched Equiano cable. The Equiano cable, named after Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, was landed in Nigeria in April 2022 and runs from Portugal along Africa’s west coast to South Africa. This project is part of Google’s broader commitment, announced in 2021, to invest $1 billion in Africa over five years. The aim is to support efforts ranging from improved connectivity to investment in startups, thereby boosting Africa’s digital transformation. To date, Google has invested over $900 million in the region and expects to fulfill its commitment by 2026.
