• Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria sign deal for new submarine fiber-optic link

• Project aims to boost bandwidth, digital connectivity and regional cybersecurity

• New cable to reduce reliance on single international connectivity route

Equatorial Guinea has signed a cooperation agreement with Nigeria for the deployment of submarine fiber-optic infrastructure. The new link is intended to strengthen the Central African country’s digital infrastructure, which remains heavily dependent on limited international connectivity capacity.

The initiative was disclosed on Monday, Feb. 9, by Olusegun Dada, a special assistant to the Nigerian president for social media, in a post on X. The post included a video from local broadcaster AIT News showing the signing ceremony in Malabo. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the project aims to expand bandwidth capacity, strengthen digital communications and support regional cooperation on cybersecurity.

“The cable that is to be constructed is fiber optic cable broadband. So she’s bringing digital communication. It’s a subsea cable, very important, the linkages that we require in Africa to integrate our markets and reap those benefits,” he said.

The agreement comes as Equatorial Guinea relies primarily on the Africa to Europe (ACE) cable for international connectivity. The country also operates local and regional links: Ceiba-1 connects Malabo to Bata; Ceiba-2 links Malabo to Kribi in Cameroon via Bata; while Ultramar GE connects Equatorial Guinea to Sao Tome and Principe.

Nigeria is connected to seven major international submarine cables: West Africa Cable System (WACS), SAT-3/WASC, MainOne, Glo-1, Equiano, 2Africa and ACE. It also has a submarine link with Cameroon between Kribi and Lagos.

Nigeria has signed a deal with Equatorial Guinea to provide subsea fibre‑optic infrastructure aimed at boosting broadband, digital communications, and cybersecurity cooperation across the region. pic.twitter.com/JpDox8h9xb

— Daddy D.O?? (@DOlusegun) February 9, 2026

The partnership coincides with accelerated digital transformation, driven by rising demand for high-speed connectivity from consumers, businesses and governments. Governments are seeking to digitize public services to improve access, while businesses are increasingly adopting digital solutions such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to boost productivity.

Submarine cables: a driver of cost reduction and network resilience

A report published in June 2025 by the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI) found that doubling international capacity provided by submarine cables leads to an immediate 32% drop in fixed broadband prices and up to 50% for mobile broadband.

The World Bank reached similar conclusions. In a study published in July 2024, it found that each doubling of submarine cable capacity in Africa generally results in a 7% decline in fixed broadband prices and a 13% drop for mobile broadband.

The studies also highlight the role of submarine cables in strengthening network redundancy, as cables regularly experience outages that can disrupt connectivity. Greater resilience can support wider adoption of digital services. According to DataReportal, Equatorial Guinea had 1.18 million internet subscriptions at the end of 2025, representing a penetration rate of 60.4%.

However, the technical specifications and deployment timeline for the Nigeria-Equatorial Guinea submarine link have not yet been disclosed. Moreover, even once operational, the impact will depend on the country’s ability to route capacity from landing points inland through a sufficiently dense national terrestrial fiber-optic network.

Isaac K. Kassouwi