Today, Google revealed plans to construct the Umoja underwater cable system, which would be the first fiber optic line to directly connect Australia and Africa. The subsea cable will connect Australia to South Africa, and the terrestrial cable will connect South Africa to Kenya. Google’s Africa Connect program consists of the Equiano and Umoja platforms. The word for oneness in Swahili is umoja.
Before heading over the Indian Ocean to Australia, the Umoja cable route travels through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Africa, including the Google Cloud area.
Included in Google’s Africa Connect effort, the Umoja and Equiano cable lines are currently in place. Since March 2023, the Equiano cable system has been operational.
In order to create a highly scalable route through Africa, Google and Liquid Intelligent Technologies worked together to develop Umoja’s terrestrial path. This route includes access points that will enable additional nations to utilize the network.
African nations will be able to communicate with the rest of the world and with each other more dependable because to Umoja. For a location that has historically seen high-impact failures, sustaining a resilient network requires establishing a new route that differs from the connection paths that already exist.
Google and Kenya’s Ministry of Information Communications and The Digital Economy will sign a Statement of Collaboration to accelerate joint efforts in cybersecurity, growing data-driven innovation, digital upskilling, and responsibly and safely deploying AI for societal benefits in addition to the Umoja subsea cable system.
Google Cloud and Kenya have announced that they will be collaborating to enhance cybersecurity in Kenya as part of their partnership. To bolster the security of its eCitizen platform, the Department of Immigration & Citizen Services is assessing Google Cloud’s CyberShield technology and Mandiant’s experience. Governments may safeguard web-facing infrastructure, strengthen their ability to combat cyberthreats, and assist teams create procedures and competencies that facilitate efficient security operations with the aid of CyberShield.
In Nairobi, Kenya, Google established its first office in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2007. Since then, Google has come to understand how important it is to make investments in safe technological infrastructure for fostering healthy economic development both in Africa and globally, as well as for bringing communities together and advancing education.
Google said in 2021 that it will contribute $1 billion over the course of five years in Africa to support a variety of initiatives aimed at accelerating the continent’s digital development, including investments in startups and better connectivity. Since then, Google has made over $900 million in investments in the area, with plans to finish by 2026.
