By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is leading the charge to create a coordinated and multilateral approach to tackle challenges facing telecommunications infrastructure in West Africa following the recent undersea cable cuts that affected connectivities in many countries in the region.
This call was made by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Aminu Maida, in a delivery at the 21st West Africa Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from March 19 -22, 2024.
He also called for the diversification of connectivity to ensure uninterruptible connections, stating that the recent submarine cable cuts that resulted in nationwide outages on multiple networks in 12 African countries have raised the urgent need for the subregion to establish a mechanism to protect itself from damage to submarine infrastructure and its attendant impact on the subregion.
Mr Maida, whose message was delivered at the WATRA AGM by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, referred to a report by Cloudflare, an IT service management firm, which indicates that about six countries, including four West African countries, were still suffering from the outages caused by the submarine cable cuts.
“Securing telecom infrastructure is paramount for fostering Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and enhancing investor confidence in the West African sub-region. The reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks are crucial factors that investors consider when evaluating regional opportunities.
“By ensuring the security of these vital assets, we can attract more investment, spur economic growth, and enhance our competitiveness on the global stage. A secure telecoms infrastructure not only facilitates efficient communication and connectivity but also signals a commitment to safeguarding critical assets essential for business operations. This assurance can significantly boost investor confidence and create a conducive environment for sustainable economic development,” he added.
According to the NCC EVC, “the impact of events like cable cuts highlights the need for a coordinated, multilateral approach to protecting shared infrastructure across our member nations.”
He then proposed “the urgent need to set up a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation, and emergency response procedures for the submarine cables that pass through the sub-region.
“Further to this, we recommend that the WATRA Working Group on Infrastructure expand its mandate to spearhead the development of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard the subregion’s telecommunications networks and associated infrastructure, thereby proactively bolstering resilience through improved disaster response protocols to better insulate ourselves from future disruptions.”
The NCC boss advised that the goals of the Working Group would be to strengthen sub-regional infrastructure resilience, promote the diversification of the sub-region connectivity, conduct regular capacity assessments, and facilitate the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure in member countries.
At the AGM, Nigeria’s Yusuf Aliyu Aboki was reelected as the Executive Secretary for a second term in a unanimous vote by the member countries.
Mr Maida commended Mr Aboki for his firm, inclusive and visionary leadership, which saw the successful delivery of WATRA’s 2022 — 2025 Strategic Plan, noting that Nigeria and the sub-region were proud of the milestones he had achieved during his first tenure.
He further advised the WATRA Executive Secretary to build on the achievements of his first tenure through stronger partnerships and deeper collaboration while advancing the interests of the sub-regional body.
Aduragbemi Omiyale