Can CSquared's new fibre backbone transform West Africa?

CSquared, a pan-African technology company dedicated to digitally connecting Africa through open-access, carrier-neutral broadband infrastructure, has announced a major milestone with the significant expansion of its West African fibre network

This transformative initiative aims to bridge digital divides between coastal and landlocked nations while fuelling economic growth across the region.

Expanding on its active operations across the continent, CSquared is furthering its mission to create a more inclusive and interconnected Africa through the development of a strategic terrestrial backbone in West Africa. The most recent addition, a cross-border solution from Abidjan to Monrovia, complements existing infrastructure from Accra to Lagos. Fully integrated, this critical network links coastal and landlocked countries across ECOWAS and extends northward via Burkina Faso.

With plans to interconnect countries including Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and Niger, this West African digital superhighway offers a high-capacity, high-availability alternative to the current dependence on single points of failure from undersea cable networks.

“This backbone represents more than just fibre; it’s about building a stronger digital foundation for West Africa’s future,” said Ian Paterson, CEO of CSquared. “By improving regional connectivity and integrating with subsea capacity, we are delivering the infrastructure that governments, operators, and communities need to thrive in a digital-first world.”

“Our vision is a Digitally Connected Africa, where every country, city, and community can participate in the global digital economy and this West African super highway brings us one step closer to that reality. We invite both existing and new partners across the ecosystem to join us in unlocking new opportunities for innovation and growth,” added Paterson.

As the landing partner for Equiano in Togo, CSquared plays a key role in extending next-generation subsea capacity inland, offering alternative low-latency routes to the global internet, particularly vital for landlocked nations that currently lack dependable cross-border connectivity.

The network leverages modern, open optical technologies built to international standards, offering multiple integration points into global and regional networks, data centers, and landing stations. Its open-access model enables governments, service providers, enterprises, and communities to connect across borders, collaborate, and grow via affordable, scalable, and reliable broadband that supports national development goals and cross-border commerce.

“As Africa’s only truly open access wholesale provider, CSquared delivers carrier neutral fibre networks engineered for scalability, low latency, and high reliability, empowering operators to expand coverage, lower costs, and drive digital inclusion,” said Samuel Owusu Yeboah, CSquared’s chief technology officer.

The announcement comes in the lead-up to the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) in Lagos, where CSquared will highlight this new regional route and its growing impact on enabling low latency peering and enhancing data sovereignty across the continent. For CSquared, the West African superhighway marks a crucial step toward a future where no country or community is excluded from the digital revolution.