Bayobab Coordinates Repair of Damaged Underwater Cables Along West African Coast

Bayobab, a subsidiary of MTN Group, is actively engaged in coordinating repair efforts for damaged underwater communication cables along the West Coast of Africa. The damage, affecting four subsea cables – WACS, ACE, SAT3, and MainOne – was confirmed by consortium partners on March 14, 2024.

To mitigate the impact of the damage, Bayobab is working closely with partners to reroute traffic and enable additional circuits. The repair process has been initiated jointly by ACE and WACS, with a cable ship mobilized for collaborative repair efforts. While investigations and repairs are ongoing, Bayobab’s strategy focuses on successful traffic rerouting, leveraging its extensive network, and collaborating with industry partners.

Bayobab’s network resiliency allows for swift activation of new cables, facilitating faster rerouting and bolstering network resilience. Efforts are also underway to enhance interconnection along the west and east coasts, including further interconnections between WACS and Equiano, and establishing end-to-end connections between WACS on the west coast and EASSy on the east coast.

Progress has been made in restoring service in some affected regions, and Bayobab remains committed to achieving full recovery as quickly as possible. Recognizing the critical importance of network reliability, the company continues to strengthen its infrastructure to mitigate future disruptions.