AFR-IX Telecom, an infrastructure and telecom operator in Africa, is proud to announce that it has secured new funding from the European Commission to support the MEDUSA AFRICA Submarine Cable System through CEF Digital programme. This investment marks a significant milestone in enhancing digital connectivity between Europe and Africa, fostering economic and technological development across the region.
The Medusa Submarine able System, designed to strengthen intercontinental connectivity through the Mediterranean, will now extend further into West Africa. This strategic expansion enhances interconnectivity between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, mitigating potential saturation from increasing connectivity demands. Furthermore, it will improve redundancy and bolster resilience across critical networks.
A Strategic Investment in Africa’s Digital Future – Medusa Africa DG
The European Commission, through its Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways program (CEF – DIG 2023 – GATEWAYS), has awarded a €14,3 million grant to support the MEDUSA AFRICA project. The objective of this initiative is to connect the Southern European Data Gateway with Atlantic Africa via a 24-fiber pair submarine cable system.
The project lays the groundwork for a dedicated African connectivity subsystem within the broader Medusa network, that is, conducting the marine survey from a dedicated Branching Unit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, surveying potential branch routes along the African west coastline.
EU’s Commitment to Global Connectivity
The MEDUSA AFRICA project is one of 21 initiatives selected in the third round of CEF Digital funding. Among these is ATMED Malta – DG, another AFR-IX Telecom project, which will integrate Malta into the Medusa network and has been awarded €3,7 million in funding.
These grants are part of the European Commission’s broader €420 million investment in digital infrastructure, of which €142 million is allocated to submarine cable projects.
In addition to MEDUSA AFRICA and ATMED Malta – DG, AFR-IX telecom has secured funding for several other strategic projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program:
- ATMED – DG (Atlantic-Mediterranean Data Gateway)
- ATMED NADOR-DG (Digital Gateway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean – Nador)
- ATMED EAST – DG (Digital Gateway between the Atlantic and the East Mediterranean)
The MEDUSA AFRICA-DG and ATMED MALTA-DG projects are backed by the EU under CEF-DIG-2023-GATEWAYS (Project references: 23-ES-DIG-MEDUSA AFRICA-DG and 23-ES-DIG-ATMED MALTA-DG).
