In response to a recent internet outage that affected West and Central Africa, the Federal Government has urged cooperation among West African nations to safeguard shared telecommunications infrastructure.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, emphasized the need for a unified approach during the 21st West Africa Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly Annual General Meeting held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The outage, which occurred on March 14th, resulted in disruptions to online services, including banking operations, due to failures in multiple subsea cables.
Maida highlighted the urgency for the subregion to establish mechanisms to protect submarine infrastructure and mitigate future disruptions.
Referring to a report by Cloudflare, Maida noted that six countries, including four West African nations, were still experiencing outages caused by the submarine cable cuts.
He stressed the importance of securing telecom infrastructure to attract foreign investment, enhance investor confidence, and foster economic growth.
Proposing a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation, and emergency response procedures, Maida called for the expansion of the WATRA Working Group on Infrastructure’s mandate.
“Securing telecom infrastructure is paramount for fostering foreign direct investment 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 said.
The proposed strategy aims to bolster infrastructure resilience, promote connectivity diversification, and designate telecommunications infrastructure as critical national assets in member countries.
The initiative seeks to enhance disaster response protocols and insulate the region from future disruptions, ultimately creating a conducive environment for sustainable economic development.
