Meta has stepped up its investment in submarine cable infrastructure as part of a wider effort to boost internet resilience across Africa. Among its major initiatives is Project Waterworth, a planned undersea cable network stretching over 50,000 km, linked to five continents including the US, South Africa, India, and Brazil. The cable is expected to use a high-capacity 24 fibre-pair design, with enhanced protective measures in key risk areas.
Another major project is 2Africa, a consortium-led cable system (in which Meta is a key partner), designed to loop the continent: it will cover 45,000 km, serving 33 countries, and connect Africa, Europe, and the Middle East via both Atlantic and Indian Ocean routes. The goal is more bandwidth, better reliability, and broader access for countries often affected by frequent cable disruptions.
These projects are responses to past disruptions caused by undersea cable faults (e.g. in the Red Sea and other strategic chokepoints), which have negatively impacted internet access in parts of East and West Africa. Meta’s cables are being routed carefully to avoid high-risk zones and using enhanced burial techniques in shallow waters near coasts to reduce risk of damage by anchors or accidents.
For Africa, the implications are significant: improved connectivity could help lower internet costs, increase speed and reliability, and catalyze growth in sectors reliant on stable digital infrastructure — like fintech, AI, education, remote work. However, challenges remain, including securing right-of-way, landing site permits, local infrastructure for distribution, and maintaining these cables through waters prone to natural or human-caused damage.
0 Comments