(Ecofin Agency) - Kenya plans to invest $59 million to increase its data capabilities. This fund will be used to deploy an extension of the Djibouti Africa Regional Express (DARE).

The submarine sensor required to determine the path of this cable has already been completed and the construction contract has been awarded. Currently, Djibouti has to set a scheme for the sharing of revenues generated by this cable.

According to Robert Mugo, director of shared services at the Kenya communications authority, these new investments show the government’s ambition to boost Kenya’s position as a regional IT center. It is also aimed at guaranteeing companies and individuals’ access to faster, secure and reliable internet connection.  

According to Kenya’s digital master plan launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the 2019 Transform Africa Summit, revenues generated by the digital economy should reach $23,000 billion by 2025, thanks to investments 6.7 times higher than those in other sectors.  

Kenya’s connection to the DARE will be the fifth to a regional submarine fiber optics system.  It is already connected to the SEACOM, East African Marine System (TEAMS), Eastern African Submarine Cable System (EASsy) and Lion2 systems.