Meta Invests in Safaricom’s $23 Million Undersea Fibre-Optic Cable Project

Meta Platforms, through its Irish subsidiary Edge Network Services Ltd., has taken a stake in Safaricom’s $23 million undersea fibre-optic cable linking Oman and Mombasa, filings with Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) showed. The 4,108-kilometre Daraja Fibre Optic Cable is expected to go live in 2026.

Safaricom, which secured clearance to land the cable at Nyali Beach, will deploy 24 fibre pairs well above the typical 8-16 boosting capacity, lowering costs, and improving reliability. Safaricom's CEO Peter Ndegwa said the investment secures Kenya’s long-term control of high-speed infrastructure as the company shifts toward data and digital services.

The project extends Meta’s broader push into connectivity and AI infrastructure. In February, 2025, the company announced Project Waterworth, a 50,000-kilometre global subsea system set to become the world’s longest, connecting the US, India, South Africa, Brazil, and other regions. 

Google is also expanding, with plans for the first Africa–Australia cable and a $1 billion investment in two new Pacific systems to Japan.

The road to an AI economy

Investments by global tech giants in Africa’s digital infrastructure underscore the continent’s rising importance in the global data economy. Subsea cables are critical for reducing latency, improving reliability, and lowering the cost of internet services. By securing direct connections to major global hubs, African countries stand to benefit from faster and more affordable digital services.

These developments can also help Africa advance its AI economy. Improved connectivity will allow local innovators, startups, and research institutions to access large-scale data and cloud services at lower costs, enabling the creation of localized AI solutions. Governments and regional blocs such as the African Union can leverage these opportunities by investing in digital literacy, AI policy frameworks, and data protection standards to ensure that Africa is not just a consumer of AI technologies but also a producer.

Because these infrastructure projects are largely driven by foreign corporations, African countries need to negotiate for knowledge transfer, local capacity-building, and fair data governance frameworks. Such measures would ensure that the continent captures long-term economic value rather than remaining dependent on external providers.

As Meta, Google, and other firms continue to build digital superhighways beneath the oceans, Africa’s ability to strategically leverage these investments will shape its future competitiveness in the AI-driven global economy.