In a significant advancement for digital connectivity in West Africa, Phase3 and Sonatel have activated a new 3,500km terrestrial fibre route connecting Lagos, Nigeria, to Dakar, Senegal.
This high-capacity, low-latency link provides scalable connectivity and enhances cloud and content infrastructure across the region.
This collaboration extends Phase3’s East-West fibre expansion, adding Dakar to its existing Lagos-Accra corridor, creating a land-based alternative to submarine cables. The new route achieves latency as low as 32 milliseconds and offers vital resilience, especially following the disruptions caused by subsea cable outages in 2024.
Stanley Jegede, Executive Chairman of Phase3, described the route as “a digital spine for West Africa,” emphasizing its role in building a scalable, redundant, and future-proof network. “We’re connecting Dakar to Lagos while interlinking our major platforms, creating a step change in West Africa’s digital capabilities,” said Jegede.
Bridging networks through Benin, Togo, Ghana, and now Senegal, the new terrestrial fibre provides critical redundancy for hyperscalers, content networks, financial institutions, governments, and cloud providers. It also expands the Djoliba network from Ghana into Nigeria and lays the foundation for Ikasira, Sonatel’s next-generation regional platform.
“This isn’t just about avoiding downtime; it’s about data sovereignty, application performance, and cloud transformation. Most importantly, it’s about building an internet infrastructure that doesn’t fail when subsea cables do,” said Craig Lowe, Chief Growth Officer at Phase3.
Sonatel played a central role in extending the fibre corridor westward, with leadership that promotes regional innovation and shared prosperity.
“This route is a significant achievement that will drive economic growth and digital inclusion across Africa. It underscores our shared vision of fostering connectivity and innovation, supporting regional development and digital transformation,” said Sékou Dramé, CEO of Sonatel.
Engineered for sectors such as financial services, enterprise cloud workloads, public sector digitization, and media streaming, the route ensures cross-border interoperability and local access to cloud zones like AWS Wavelength, hosted by Sonatel in Dakar. It also reduces dependence on subsea cables, supporting national digital strategies across the region.
“Dakar is becoming a strategic connectivity hub for West Africa. This route offers diversified infrastructure, lower latency, and reliable access to global content–driving real economic outcomes,” said El Hadji Maty Sene, Managing Director of Sonatel Wholesale and International.
