West Africa Boosts Internet with Submarine Cable Project

The Amilcar Cabral IT cable project aims to connect Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone through a submarine cable network. The objectives of the project are to enhance international telecommunications capacity, improve access to digital services and provide essential redundancy to guarantee broadband internet resilience.

Within the scope of the project development, an ECOWAS delegation, led by Mr. Sediko DOUKA, the Honorable Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization undertook a mission on 3rd of June 2024 to Conakry in the Republic of Guinea. The mission was facilitated by H.E. Louis-Blaise AKA-BROU, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea, and included Officers from the Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU).

Following the recent launch of the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP) project through which The Gambia and Guinea have mobilized financing from the World Bank for the project implementation, the objective of the mission was to consult with the Ministers of Post, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, and Planning and International Cooperation, respectively, on key issues to ensure the successful and timely implementation of the Amilcar Cabral cable project.

The mission was briefed on Guinea’s preparedness for project implementation and held fruitful discussions on the following key issues: the phased implementation of the Project while maintaining its regional character; the establishment of a national Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in line with the prerequisites of financing Institutions; expediting the issuance of necessary permits; and the establishment of a seed fund to facilitate project preparation.

The mission met with M. Ismael NABE, Honorable Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and M. Nouha TRAORE, Secretary General of the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, along with their respective Directors and Heads of services/ agencies. Elhadj Ibrahima Diallo, Head of Guinea’s ECOWAS National Office, and his staff also participated in the discussions.

The mission also paid a courtesy visit to the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea where discussions focused on regional programs and projects in the Water Resources sector.