In the wake of the Red Sea submarine cable sabotage, which resulted in significant internet service disruptions across several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and parts of South Africa, key figures have stepped forward to address the vulnerability of the continent’s infrastructure.
Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, and esteemed security expert, Dr. Kabir Adamu, have voiced urgent calls for African leaders and the Federal Government to devise robust strategies for protecting critical infrastructures.
The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, saw multiple key submarine cables cut, leading to widespread service interruptions that affected various sectors, including banking, education, and commerce, highlighting the precarious nature of Africa’s digital and economic security.
Reno Omokri, who served as a media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, emphasized the resilience of Nigerian-owned telecom giant, Globacom, in the face of the attacks.
Omokri attributed Globacom’s immunity to its pioneering efforts in building the Glo 1 submarine cable, which directly connects from the UK to Nigeria, bypassing the unstable MENA region. He stressed the importance of supporting Nigerian-made products and services that inherently bolster the nation’s security.
Dr. Kabir Adamu, founder of Beacon Consulting Limited, underscored the vulnerability of African security strategies as long as critical infrastructure, like submarine cables, remains exposed to cable sabotage.
Adamu called on the Federal Government and African leaders to develop preemptive measures and protective strategies to safeguard these essential assets. He further urged the African Union and the African Development Bank to spearhead efforts in devising solutions to mitigate future risks and ensure the continent’s digital infrastructure is resilient against such attacks.
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The sabotage not only disrupted daily life and economic activities but also posed a significant national security risk, underscoring the critical need for a unified approach to infrastructure protection.
Both Omokri and Adamu highlight the imperative of revising national security strategies to include diverse perspectives and proactive risk management paradigms to better shield Africa from similar vulnerabilities in the future.
