Nigeria is hosting the inaugural International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit in Abuja, bringing together representatives from 50 countries and over 250 stakeholders to address the critical issue of protecting submarine cable infrastructure.
The summit, organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), aims to enhance global digital resilience by promoting best practices for cable protection and repair.
The International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit, holding from February 26 to 27, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria, marks a significant step in addressing these challenges.
Tomas Lamanauskas, ITU Deputy Secretary-General says that the summit will focus on solutions to the increasing threats facing undersea cable infrastructure, including crisis management, recovery efforts, technology innovations, and maintenance strategies.
“We expect 50 countries at this summit. We’re expecting around 250 people here in Abuja, experts from both governments as well as the private sector, the biggest submarine cable layers, the governments through which these cables are passing, as well as different vendors, academia, and others who really are engaged in these debates to come here in Abuja to discuss how to strengthen cable resilience,” Lamanauskas says.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, co-chairs the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience alongside Prof. Sandra Maximiano of Portugal.
Tijani underscores the importance of submarine cables in driving Nigeria’s digital economy, noting that the government is committed to ensuring their resilience as part of its broader strategy to become a $1 trillion economy.
In line with its commitment to enhancing digital connectivity, the Nigerian government has announced plans to invest $2 billion in 90,000 kilometers of submarine cable networks across the country. This investment aims to provide quality connectivity to all Nigerians, regardless of location, and support the country’s digital economy ambitions.
The summit reflects Nigeria’s leadership in global discussions on digital resilience and its recognition of submarine cables as critical national infrastructure.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, has emphasised that submarine cables carry most of the world’s data traffic, making their resilience a global imperative. Even satellite communications rely on submarine cables for efficient data transmission across long distances.
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