Nigeria and ITU Discuss Protecting Undersea Cables and Digital Infrastructure

In a bid to address the recent undersea cable cut that disrupted telecommunications in Nigeria and other West African countries, the Federal Government and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have resumed discussions on protecting submarine cables and other digital infrastructure.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, met with ITU Deputy Secretary-General, Tomas Lamanauskas, in Geneva on Wednesday to kickstart action on organizing regional and global efforts to safeguard submarine cables and other digital infrastructure.

During the meeting, the minister expressed his desire to initiate dialogue on building resilience in the digital infrastructure, following the recent cable cuts off the coast of West Africa.

The two officials discussed the review of global laws with relevant government and private sector stakeholders to ensure the enhancement of global digital resilience plans.

The ITU, headquartered in Geneva, is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for matters related to information and communication technology.

The collaboration between Nigeria and the ITU is expected to strengthen the protection of undersea cables and other digital infrastructure, ultimately improving the reliability of telecommunications services in the region.

This development highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing global digital challenges and the need to establish robust digital resilience plans to mitigate the impact of incidents like cable cuts on telecommunications services.