CAR’s international internet connections currently run through Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo. A proposed link through the Democratic Republic of the Congo would add a third route to subsea cables.
The connection would tie CAR’s national fibre-optic backbone to infrastructure in the DRC, reaching subsea cables at Muanda on the Atlantic coast. CAR’s network, built under the Central African Backbone project, stretches about 935 kilometres and already connects the country with its two existing neighbours. The new project remains at the planning stage. No construction schedule or cost has been announced.
Muanda is the landing area for the 2Africa and West Africa Cable System, or WACS. About 14,530 kilometres long, WACS entered commercial service in 2012. Its route connects South Africa with the United Kingdom and serves several African countries.
The DRC’s National Strategic Development Plan for 2024 to 2028 calls for 50,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable nationwide. It also sets out plans for national optical rings to support fixed telephony and broadband access. The plan is part of the country’s wider infrastructure programme, as We Are Tech Africa reported.
CAR’s minister of digital economy, posts and telecommunications, Roger Andjalandji, met his DRC counterpart, Augustin Kibassa Maliba, on the sidelines of an international digital sovereignty roundtable in Moscow. The ministers agreed to accelerate the cross-border project.
The agreement signals fresh political momentum, but the link has yet to move into construction. Details of the proposal and its planned role in expanding connectivity were reported by We Are Tech Africa.
