WATRA Calls for Stronger Regional Cooperation on Submarine Cable Resilience
According to Aboki, the recommendations address key industry challenges, including reducing delays in cable deployment and repairs, improving coordination between governments and industry, strengthening risk identification and incident response, expanding access to repair vessels, and increasing geographical diversity and redundancy across global cable networks.
The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Aliyu Aboki, has called for stronger regional cooperation to improve the resilience of submarine cable infrastructure, describing it as essential to safeguarding West Africa’s rapidly growing digital economy.
Aboki made the remarks following the publication of reports and recommendations by the International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience, where he served as a member. The reports, developed across three working groups, outline measures to strengthen the resilience of global submarine cable networks.
He acknowledged the leadership of the advisory body’s co-chairs, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and Professor Sandra Maximiano of ANACOM, Portugal, noting that Nigeria’s role reflects the increasing strategic importance of submarine cable resilience to Africa’s digital transformation.
According to Aboki, the recommendations address key industry challenges, including reducing delays in cable deployment and repairs, improving coordination between governments and industry, strengthening risk identification and incident response, expanding access to repair vessels, and increasing geographical diversity and redundancy across global cable networks.
He said these priorities are particularly important for West Africa, recalling the widespread submarine cable disruptions in March 2024, which affected digital payments, communications, commerce and other essential services across several countries in the region.
Aboki stressed that protecting submarine cable infrastructure is no longer solely a telecommunications issue but a critical economic priority as increasing volumes of commercial activity depend on reliable digital connectivity.
He also highlighted one of the report’s central recommendations—the need for greater regional cooperation and regulatory harmonisation. The report encourages governments, regulators and industry stakeholders to leverage regional and intergovernmental frameworks to improve coordination, reduce fragmented regulatory requirements and strengthen collective preparedness.
For WATRA and its 16 member states, Aboki said the focus must now shift from developing recommendations to implementing them through a coordinated regional framework that prioritises prevention, preparedness and rapid recovery.
He thanked the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), fellow members of the advisory body and more than 175 experts who contributed to the initiative, adding that the success of the work will ultimately depend on how effectively the recommendations are translated into action to strengthen the digital infrastructure underpinning West Africa’s economic future.
