Facebook is expanding its digital presence in Africa through its Irish subsidiary, Edge Network Services Ltd., which has invested in Safaricom’s ambitious undersea fibre optic cable initiative.
According to reports, this investment aligns Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, more closely with East Africa’s rapidly growing internet market.
Edge Network Services, operating as Meta’s connectivity infrastructure arm from Ireland, will contribute to Safaricom’s US$23 million Daraja Cable project. This 4,108-kilometre subsea cable aims to connect Oman and Mombasa, enhancing bandwidth, reducing costs, and improving internet reliability by 2026.
The report highlights that Safaricom, the project’s main developer, is guiding the Daraja Cable initiative. An Environmental Impact Assessment has been submitted to Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (Nema), emphasising the project’s significance and scale.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that it reflects the company’s commitment to shaping Kenya’s digital future. “This investment secures long-term control of high-speed infrastructure for Kenya and supports our growth in 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband,” he mentioned.
As voice revenue growth slows, Safaricom pivots towards data and digital services. At the same time, Meta is enhancing its global subsea network portfolio, which includes the expansive 50,000 km 2Africa and Pearls systems.
These subsea fibre-optic cable networks, developed in partnership with global tech and telecom companies, aim to provide Africa with more direct connections to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The Daraja system will boast 24 fibre pairs, significantly exceeding the usual eight to 16, thereby granting East Africa exceptional capacity amid rising competition from Starlink and Airtel.
