ATU-ASEF Online Capacity Building Workshop on Subsea Cable Resilience(1:00PM – 3:00pm EAT)

Submarine cable systems are the backbone of global connectivity, carrying over 95% of international communications and internet traffic. Africa’s digital transformation and socio-economic development are highly dependent on the security, resilience, and expansion of these systems. However, submarine cables face multiple risks including physical damage, cyber threats, inadequate redundancy, and governance challenges.

To address these issues, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), in partnership with the Africa Subsea Ecosystem Forum (ASEF) is organizing an online Capacity Building Workshop on Submarine Cable Resilience. The workshop will enhance the technical, policy, and regulatory knowledge of African stakeholders to safeguard this critical infrastructure.

Objectives:

 Build capacity of African member states, regulators, operators, and industry players on submarine cable resilience and security.
 Share best practices on planning, deployment, protection, and maintenance of submarine cable systems.
 Strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration in protecting critical subsea infrastructure.
 Align discussions with ITU priorities related to submarine cables, resilience, and digital infrastructure.

Expected Outcomes

Participants:

 ATU Member States, Associate Members and Regulators
 Submarine Cable Operators and Industry Players
Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
 International Partners and Standards Bodies (e.g. ITU, ICPC, ISOC)
 Academia and Research Institutions
 Civil Society Organizations

Format and Duration: 2hrs:

Venue and Date:

Partners:

Conclusion:

Les systèmes de câbles sous-marins constituent l’épine dorsale de la connectivité mondiale, acheminant plus de 95 % des communications internationales et du trafic Internet. La transformation numérique et le développement socio-économique de l’Afrique dépendent fortement de la sécurité, de la résilience et de l’expansion de ces systèmes. Cependant, les câbles sous-marins sont exposés à de multiples risques, notamment des dommages physiques, des cybermenaces, une redondance insuffisante et des défis en matière de gouvernance.

Pour aborder ces questions, l’Union Africaine des Télécommunications (UAT), en partenariat avec le Forum Africain sur l’Ecosystème Sous-Marin (Africa Subsea Ecosystem Forum – ASEF), organise un atelier en ligne sur le renforcement des capacités en matière de résilience des câbles sous-marins. Cet atelier permettra d’améliorer les connaissances techniques, politiques et réglementaires des parties prenantes africaines afin de protéger cette infrastructure essentielle.

Objectifs:

Résultats attendus:

Participants:

Format et durée : 2 heures

Lieu et date :

Partenaires:

Conclusion:

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Remarks – En | Remarks – Fr

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Secretary General of ATU

Mr. John OMO is the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the African Union’s specialized agency for telecommunications and ICTs’ development in Africa. He has held the position since January 2019. He leads the continental body entrusted with building consensus within African countries in the development of ICT policies, systems and services, and also in coordinating African participation in international ICT fora. Mr. Omo has 33 years of experience as a lawyer and has contributed immensely to the development of local and international policies, legislation, agreements, and treaties in all areas of public service life but mainly in the area of ICTs. Mr. Omo was awarded the Global Merit Leader Awards 2022 by Telecom Review during Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit in Dubai, UAE.

Hon. Minister of Communications Innovation & Digital, Nigeria

Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani is the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria and a TIME100 AI 2025 awardee for his leadership in advancing AI globally. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), a leading pan-African technology and innovation centre with presence in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Namibia. He previously served as European Innovation Manager at PERA and worked at the International Trade Centre in Geneva. Dr. Tijani holds degrees from the University of Jos, Warwick University and the University of Leicester, and serves as Vice Chair of the ITU Council, Co-Chair of the ITU Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience, and a member of UNITAR’s Board of Trustees and the ITU Digital Innovation Board.

Mr. Mark Tinka is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of TransmissionCo, bringing nearly twenty-five years of experience in the Internet engineering sector. He specializes in high-capacity DWDM optical transmission services and has extensive expertise in DWDM and IP/MPLS networking, network design and large-scale engineering. Prior to TransmissionCo, he served as Head of Engineering at SEACOM, where he led complex network infrastructure projects and drove technical innovation across the continent.

Prof. Theophilus A. Benson is a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University and Carnegie Mellon University–Africa, where his work focuses on models, algorithms and frameworks that enhance network reliability. His research has earned multiple Test of Time awards, faculty awards and best paper awards. He has chaired leading networking conferences, including NSDI, SIGCOMM and IMC, and serves on several international steering committees.

Ms. Geraldine Le Meur is the Managing Director of GreenLink Marine (Singapore), specializing in subsea cable route engineering, risk assessments, marine stakeholder engagement and subsea cable protection strategies. With more than twenty years of global experience across over forty countries, she has led feasibility studies, permitting, site assessments, marine surveys and cable protection programmes for international telecommunication systems. She previously served as Senior Marine and Industry Liaison Manager and as Cable Route Survey Project Manager.

Ms. Samia Bahsoun is the Co-Founder of Aqua2Terra and Principal of the global telecom advisory firm S2 Associates International. A telecom infrastructure innovator and strategic adviser, she brings a distinguished track record shaped by early R&D roles at Bell Labs, executive leadership positions and multiple entrepreneurial ventures. She has led the design and deployment of subsea, national backbone, metro and access networks, advising governments, service providers and hyperscalers across Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.

Mr. Chongguang Ma is the General Manager for the Middle East and Africa region at HMN Technologies, bringing fifteen years of experience across the telecommunications industry. His background spans research and development, solution engineering and sales, covering both subsea and terrestrial network systems, and he maintains extensive technical and industry relationships across the region.

Mr. Ahmed Atyya is a telecommunications and ICT regulatory expert with extensive experience supporting national and regional policy development aligned with ITU recommendations and global standards. His expertise covers numbering plan administration, licensing regimes, competition policy, consumer protection, privacy regulation, and IPv6 migration strategies. He is actively engaged with ITU-T Study Group 2, contributing to international work on numbering, naming, addressing and routing. Mr. Atyya has a strong record of translating technical requirements into effective regulatory frameworks and facilitating multi-stakeholder coordination to advance digital transformation objectives. He holds an MSc in Information Technology (Information Security) and has advanced English proficiency.

An Engineer in Telecommunications Design, Mr. Richard ANAGO has over 30 years of experience in telecommunications and ICT, with expertise in development, standardization, and radiocommunications. He served for 20 years as Head of Cooperation and International Relations in Burkina Faso. Since December 2024, he has been serving as Programme Coordinator at the ITU Regional Office for Africa.

Mr. Douglas Njenga is a Director at WIOCC, a pan-African digital infrastructure company investing in subsea and terrestrial networks. With more than a decade of experience in telecommunications, law and regulatory strategy, he oversees engagement with governments and policy bodies to advance harmonized frameworks for investment, competition and digital inclusion. He has been instrumental in regional policy dialogues on open access, infrastructure sharing and collaboration to expand affordable broadband and accelerate Africa’s connectivity transformation. Mr. Njenga also serves on the Executive Committee of the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), contributing to global initiatives that safeguard subsea cable systems and promote resilient international connectivity.

Mr. Abayomi Adebanjo is the Regional Business Head and General Counsel at MainOne Cable Company (an Equinix Inc. subsidiary), where he oversees sales, operations, legal, regulatory and compliance functions across West Africa. He has led major initiatives in data centre development, fibre-optic expansion and innovative infrastructure financing. A former Co-Head of Financial Services at Jackson, Etti & Edu, he is widely recognised in the profession, earning distinctions including IFLR “Rising Star,” Chambers Global “Leading Lawyer,” “African Legal Rising Star,” and “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40.”

Hanane Boujemi is a seasoned leader in tech policy and regulatory strategy, with over 18 years of experience shaping governance frameworks across emerging and advanced markets. She specializes in digital regulation, and technology risk management, advising senior government leaders, industry, and multilateral institutions on building policies that balance innovation with public interest.

Her work sits at the intersection of technology, law, and global affairs, where she has led high-impact initiatives across EMEA to strengthen regulatory ecosystems, advance ethical AI deployment, and support evidence-based policymaking. As the CEO of Tech Policy Tank, Ms. Boujemi is committed to bridging the worlds of tech and regulation—driving forward strategies that combine safe, sustainable, and inclusive technological progress with economic impact.

Prof. Barèrèm-Mêlgueba MAO is an expert in the field of optical communication technologies, fiber optics communication networks, radiocommunication technology, digital infrastructures and management of engineering projects in telecommunications at Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) from Togo, the national telecommunication authorithy of Togo. After joining ARCEP-TOGO in 2013, he has been working on radiospectrum management and monitoring, fiber optics communications networks regulation and monitoring, quality of service, research and development projects.

He has been working as digital infrastructure expert on national level projects like e-Government project, design of national optical fiber backbone networks project, design of FTTH networks in main cities of Togo, MCC Threshold Programme. He received the BSc in Physics in 2004 and the MSc in Physics in 2006 from Université de Lomé in Togo, a Ph.D. degree in Optical Engineering/Optical Communication Technology from Zhejiang University in China in 2012.

He is Associate Professor in optical engineering, optical communication technologies and information technology at Physics Department and Computer Sciences Department in Université de Lomé. His research interests include optical fibers, fiber-based devices, fiber lasers, fiber sensors, optical networks, fiber optics access networks, nonlinear fiber optics, Radio Over Fiber, DWDM and SDM systems, free-space communications, computer networks, cybersecurity, quantum cryptography, AI and optical networks.

Ms. Elina Noor is a Senior Fellow in the Asia Program at Carnegie, where her work focuses on developments in Southeast Asia, with particular attention to how emerging technologies are reshaping power dynamics, governance and nation-building. She previously served as Director of Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director of the Washington, D.C. office at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and as an Associate Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.

Mr. Kevin Mutuma Kaburu is the Managing Director for Digital Infrastructure – Middle East and Africa at SEACOM, bringing more than fifteen years of experience in the telecommunications sector. He focuses on expanding and securing fibre and subsea cable systems across East Africa and the Middle East. Previously, as Director of Carrier Business for China Mobile International in Kenya, he managed major fibre projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, including terrestrial, metro, PoP, data centre and subsea cable connectivity.

Ms. Oluwakemi Adeyanju is the Managing Director of Aetheris Consult, the co-founder and CEO of ASEF Africa, and leads the UK chapter of Women in Tech Africa. She has over 18 years of experience shaping the legal, policy, and regulatory landscape for subsea cables, data centres, and satellite connectivity across EMEA. She chaired the 2Africa Policy Working Group at Meta and developed subsea best-practice frameworks. Her portfolio covers major systems including 2Africa, IEX, IAX, OAC, MainOne, DARE1, SMW6 and the Deep Blue. Ms. Adeyanju also serves as a Pen Holder in an ITU Working Group contributing to global standards on subsea cable resilience. Formerly Head of Regulatory Services at MainOne (Equinix), she enabled market entry and open-access broadband policy across more than fifteen African markets.

Mr. Isaac Boateng

Mr. Isaac Boateng is the Director and Head of Standardization at the African
Telecommunications Union (ATU), with over twenty-three years of experience in
the digital technology and ICT sector. He oversees the development and
implementation of sector-specific initiatives, projects and programmes, and
provides technical support to ATU Members in their preparations for global and
regional conferences, including standardization-related engagements within the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the African Union (AU) and the
Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

Prior to joining ATU, Mr. Boateng served as Deputy Director in charge of
Technical Regulations at the National Communications Authority of Ghana. He has
been an ITU standardization expert since 2008, serving as Vice-Chair of the
Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG), Vice-Chair of ITU-T
Study Group 11 (signalling requirements and protocols), and Chair of the ITU-T
SG11 Regional Group for Africa. He has edited several ITU-T Recommendations and
Technical Papers and has chaired numerous national, regional and international
committees in ICT standardization, development and fintech.

Ms. Nomsa Muswai

Ms. Nomsa Muswai is the Co-Founder of ASEF Africa and a strategic negotiator for
Global Network Acquisition at Google. She has extensive experience in subsea and
terrestrial network development across the EMEA region and serves as a member of
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Advisory Body for Submarine Cable
Resilience, where she contributes to international best practices on the protection
of critical subsea infrastructure.

Prior to joining Google, Ms. Muswai worked as EMEA Co-Lead Partner Engineer for
Network Implementation at Meta and previously served as a Senior Network Engineer
at Core2Africa. She holds an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University and a
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of South Africa.

Article: Subsea Cable Resilience Workshop Calls for Rethink of Africa’s Critical Infrastructure

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