Gambia and Guinea collaborate on new subsea cable project

Gambia and Guinea have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a new subsea optical fibre cable in the near future. Rose Pola Pricemou, Guinea’s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy, and Ousmane Bah, Gambia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, signed the agreement in Banjul, Gambia. The collaboration aims to conduct a feasibility study for the development of the cable, with funding provided by the World Bank through the West African Digital Integration Project (WARDIP).

Currently, both countries are connected to the ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) cable for high-speed internet access. This cable, spanning 17,000 kilometers and serving about 24 countries, is managed by a consortium of 20 members. However, in 2018, several West African nations, including Gambia and Guinea, experienced complete internet outages for up to 48 hours due to damage to the ACE submarine cable. Consequently, the initiative to establish a new subsea cable aims to improve the quality and reliability of telecommunications services while reducing costs for both countries.