A major investment in Africa’s digital infrastructure is expected to be made, with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) playing a key role. In the upcoming weeks, the DFC will make a $90 million tranche toward a larger $225 million investment intended to increase fibre-optic access throughout the continent. This project highlights the growing geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States in Africa, a continent with abundant natural resources and a growing population.
Closing the Digital Connectivity Gaps in Africa
Image Source: techpoint.africa
Africa continues to be the least connected continent in the world even though digital services are quickly filling up infrastructure gaps in nations with little to no legacy networks. Leading infrastructure company Liquid will be better able to handle its impending debt, which includes a $156 million term loan and $620 million in bonds that mature in 2026, thanks to the new capital infusion. Liquid needs this financial assistance in order to keep growing its network and provide services throughout Africa.
Partnerships with the US Tech Giants
To improve internet connectivity in East Africa, Liquid is working with Microsoft and Google, two of the biggest tech companies in the United States. The goal of the collaboration with Microsoft is to give 20 million people in Kenya and Zambia access to reasonably priced last-mile connectivity. Concurrently, the partnership with Google entails constructing terrestrial fiber networks across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Africa. In addition to connecting numerous data centers, this vast network will provide a fallback alternative for managing traffic in the event of subsea cable disruptions.
Increasing The Fiber Network of Africa
Liquid has already installed more than 110,000 kilometers (68,000 miles) of fiber throughout Africa in response to the rising demand for data storage and high-speed internet services. These kinds of investments, which give millions of people access to dependable, high-speed internet, are essential to promoting economic growth and development as the digital landscape of the continent changes.
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