Liquid Expands Terrestrial Routes for Enhanced Regional Connectivity

Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid), a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, announces the launch of two new fully redundant terrestrial routes – Kenya to Ethiopia and Zambia to Malawi. This significant achievement will allow for greater efficiency and reliable regional connectivity, both key to the economic development of these countries.

Spanning over 1000 km, the fibre link between Kenya and Ethiopia offers businesses in Ethiopia access to data centres and cloud in Nairobi, Kenya, ensuring that data doesn’t leave the continent. In addition, this link is further supported by the cross-border 711 km link between Zambia and Malawi, providing a direct and reliable connection to content caches and data centres in South Africa.

Kenyan and Ethiopian businesses are rapidly adopting digital technologies, and this new link will enable trade and investment between these two great nations in our region. For Liquid Kenya, we see this growing demand being catalysed by the Kenya Kwanza Government’s Digital Superhighway Initiative, and this 1000 km of newly lit fibre is our first contribution to the private sector investment into this flagship project.

Adil El Youssefi- CEO, Rest of Africa at Liquid Intelligent Technologies

In partnership with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) and Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP), Liquid’s new link connects Nairobi and Mega, a town in southern Ethiopia, and provides a capacity of four terabytes per second. Complementing the existing terrestrial routes across this border, the Kenya-Ethiopia route will now have carrier-grade connectivity, which serves to rapidly expand data traffic on this important route.  As Liquid doubles down on its investment in Ethiopia, it expands on its long-standing commitment to ignite transformation, job creation and growth on the continent.

All initiatives undertaken by businesses under Cassava Technologies work towards realising our vision of a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind. The completion of these fibre links is yet another milestone achieved by Liquid as it continues to lay the foundations of economic growth through increased access to high-speed connectivity.

Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO, Cassava Technologies

The fibre network will provide Kenya and Ethiopia with measurable benefits in terms of connectivity performance and accessibility as it connects the underserved towns of Suswa, Sereolipi, Ndaragwa and Marsabit, as well as Nairobi and Mega.

Liquid aims to catalyse African growth through its intelligent fibre backbone, providing cost-effective, regional internet connectivity that enhances digital transformation. These milestones foster richer economic and technological ties across countries and the continent, helping African companies and individuals realise their potential within the digital economy on a local and global scale.