By 
The Equiano, a subsea cable owned by Google, has made its first Africa’s landing in the Republic of Togo.
Part of Google’s $1 billion investment programme to spread digital access on the continent, the undersea cable will offer 20 times more bandwidth than other cables in west Africa. It is coming at nearly ten times lower the existing cost of access to allow millions of people have affordable Internet.
RELATED Africa Is Already Connected NOT By Facebook And Google
The Internet cable will run from Portugal along the West Coast of Africa connecting Europe to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and Saint. Helena.
“In 2019, we introduced the Equiano subsea cable, which will run from Portugal along the West Coast of Africa — connecting Europe to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and St. Helena. Today, we are announcing the Equiano subsea cable has arrived in Lomé, Togo — marking the cable’s first stop along Africa’s Atlantic coast,” the Internet giant announced in statement to mark the epochal development for a continent that is largely lacking in digital infrastructures and under-connected.
With Equino’s landing, Togo is expected to experience cheaper and faster internet speed for its over eight million people. Togo takes the spot ahead of Nigeria following a partnership deal involving the Togolese government, Google, and CSquared, an open-access wholesale broadband infrastructure company.
According to Google, the undersea cable will indirectly create 37,000 jobs in Togo by 2025 and boost GDP by $193 million.
This positive outcome is expected across the continent as Equino berths and starts operating before year end to alter for good, the current status of Sub-Saharan Africa as the world’s least-connected region.
According to Reuters quoting a 2020 report by GSMA Intelligence, around a quarter of the population still lack mobile broadband coverage compared to 7% globally.
