The 2Africa undersea cable by Facebook’s parent company is expected to land in Nigeria by February this year.
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, confirmed this in Lagos during the opening of the new American Corner in Lekki, Lagos.
Blinken identified the cable project as one of the many ways American companies are supporting President Bola Tinubu to achieve his goal of creating one million digital jobs.
The 45,000 km 2Africa undersea cable is touted as the world’s largest undersea cable. The deep-sea cable project will encircle Africa when complete and is expected to land in Lagos and Kwa Ibo, a river town in Nigeria’s southeast.
What Blinken said
While highlighting the roles of American companies and American interests in Nigeria’s economy, Blinken said:
- “Now, what I’m seeing and what I’m feeling is that there is growing and significant American interest here in working in Nigeria, in investing in Nigeria, partnering with Nigerians. And we see many American companies, some of them present here, who are already working to help meet President Tinubu’s goal of one million digital jobs. The world’s largest subsea cable is on its way. It will reach Lagos next month. And as I’ve looked at the numbers, more than a quarter of American venture capital coming to Africa is coming to Nigeria.”
The U.S. Secretary of State, however, noted that there are challenges that still need to be addressed to make Nigeria the most inviting business environment.
He said he talked about the issues when he met with the leadership of the Nigerian government.
The American Corner
Blinken said the establishment of American Corners in Nigeria would strengthen partnerships between the United States and Nigeria, adding that it is going to fuel further tech innovation and, indeed fuel the tech revolution.
- “This place, this American Corner in Lekki, will, I believe, reinforce that incredibly vibrant relationship between our countries and between our peoples. Nigeria has more American Spaces than any other African country, 24 locations in 21 cities, 4,400 programs reaching 100,000 Nigerians every year, and now number 25.
- “Here, courses on everything from learning how to code to how to write a business plan will be offered. Video recording, podcast studios, access to robotics equipment, and 3D printing will also be on offer. This understanding of innovation and understanding that innovation is amplified by the connection that you all represent, is central to so much of what we’re doing. We have something we recently established with all of the countries bordering on the Atlantic, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, three dozen coastal Atlantic countries, including the United States, including Nigeria, working together to promote a stable, sustainable, prosperous Atlantic region,” he said.
He added that the U.S. mission in Nigeria was working with the U.S. Congress to launch the Nigerian Marine and Blue Economy hackathon.
He said this would bring together the government, the private sector, and students to develop solutions to economic and environmental challenges, like addressing plastic pollution or using ocean currents to create energy.