EU funds €14.3m for Medusa subsea cable expansion into West Africa

March 13, 2025 12:23 PM

The Medusa Subsea Cable System map, which is set to expand into West Africa

AFR-IX Telecom has secured a €14.3 million grant from the European Commission to extend the Medusa Subsea Cable System into West Africa.

The funding, awarded through the EU’s CEF Digital programme, aims to enhance digital connectivity between Europe and Africa, boosting economic and technological development across the region.

Medusa, initially designed as a neutral and independent infrastructure linking Mediterranean countries, will now expand its reach to support growing connectivity demands along Africa’s western coastline.

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The project, titled Medua Africa, involves creating a dedicated African connectivity subsystem within the broader Medusa network.

AFR-IX Telecom will conduct marine surveys for a proposed branching unit leading to the Democratic Republic of Congo, with plans for additional branch routes along the West African coast.

The African operator suggests the cable expansion will reduce potential network saturation by enhancing interconnectivity between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean while also improving redundancy and resilience across the network.

The Medusa system itself features 24 fibre pairs per segment, offering up to 20 terabits per second per fibre pair, spanning over 8,700 kilometres and linking 21 landing points.

Designed for a lifespan of 25 years, the open-access submarine cable aims to provide transparent, tailored connectivity solutions for various clients across the region.

This latest grant is part of a broader €420 million investment by the European Commission in digital infrastructure, which includes €142 million specifically for subsea cable projects.

Alongside Medusa Africa, AFR-IX Telecom has also secured €3.7 million for the ATMED Malta project, which will connect Malta to the Medusa network.

Additional funded initiatives include ATMED-DG, ATMED NADOR-DG, and ATMED EAST-DG, all part of the broader goal of enhancing digital gateways between the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions.

Tunisie Telecom recently joined the Medusa system, signing a strategic partnership agreement to launch a fibre-optic link between Bizerte, Tunisia and Marseille, France, with a capacity of 20 Tbps.