Meta and a consortium of global and regional telecommunications partners have activated the core 2Africa subsea cable, the world’s longest open-access system and the first to connect East and West Africa in a single continuous loop.
The cable spans three continents and 33 countries, linking Africa with the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. Once fully in service, it will connect more than three billion people.
The activation is being described as a significant step in global digital infrastructure and a major development for Africa’s connectivity. Designed and led by Meta in partnership with Bayobab (MTN Group), Orange, center3, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC, the system is said to provide more capacity than all existing African subsea cables combined.
By expanding bandwidth and lowering the cost of international connectivity, 2Africa is expected to improve internet performance for Africa’s 1.4 billion people, offering faster speeds, greater reliability and better access to digital services for households, students, small businesses and large enterprises.
Kojo Boakye, Meta’s vice president for public policy across Africa, the Middle East and Türkiye, said: “The completion of 2Africa is a monumental achievement, not just for Meta, but for the entire continent. This project demonstrates what’s possible when vision, investment and collaboration come together – unlocking new opportunities for millions of Africans, empowering businesses and helping to accelerate economic growth. At Meta, we are proud to be the architects of this transformative infrastructure and remain deeply committed to investing in Africa’s digital future, in partnership with the ecosystem.”
The 2Africa consortium includes both public and private sector partners and has been presented as an example of large-scale cooperation. With the system now complete, millions of users are expected to see improvements in speed, reliability and access to digital tools. Enhanced connectivity is also expected to support innovation, economic development and global competitiveness for African enterprises.
The launch event brought together officials from across the continent, including the Minister of Post, Telecoms and Digital Economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jose Mpanda Kabangu, regulators from Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, and senior representatives from Kenya and Nigeria.
Alex-Handrah Aime, Meta’s vice president for network investments, said: “Completing the core 2Africa system is a milestone for open, reliable capacity spanning three continents. We built 2Africa to be open by design so more providers can connect and people and businesses can get faster, more dependable service.
Under the surface, it’s engineered for scale, reliability and to power the next wave of cloud and AI experiences. Above the surface, it’s about everyday impact, from a student downloading a textbook in seconds to small businesses and entrepreneurs reaching new customers online.
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