Multiple reports have confirmed that internet connectivity disruptions on Thursday in West and Central African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and the Benin Republic, resulted from undersea cable damage.
The significant submarine cable cuts in the Red Sea on Thursday affected cable coming from Europe and passing through the East Coast of Africa. Hence, this affected other submarine cables connected to it, such as the West African Submarine Cable (WASC), African Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable, and MainOne submarine cable, which have landing ducts on the shores of Nigeria.
Crucial institutions like Banks, Payment Service Banks (PSBs), schools, organisations and agent banking outlets that had their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) connected to MainOne submarine cable, WASC and ACE submarine cables in Nigeria faced serious service disruptions on Thursday, as their customers could not access their internet services.
The disruptions left millions of Nigerian subscribers yesterday expressing frustrations on social media platforms, citing difficulties in making phone calls and accessing online services.
However, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) assured the public that cable operators have initiated repair efforts, gradually restoring services.
The commission stated, “Operators of these cables have commenced repairs already, and services are gradually being restored. They have promised to work around the clock to ensure that services are restored to the affected countries within the shortest possible time”.
