The ongoing construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has raised concerns among telecommunication companies over possible connectivity disruptions.
While Multichoice, the owner of DStv and GOtv, has acknowledged the anticipated impact of the construction on their uplink facilities, telcos have expressed broader concerns about the vital role of telecommunication services and the effect of possible anticipated technical disruption.
The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway corridor serves as a crucial landing point for multiple submarine cables connecting Nigeria to Europe, including the West Africa Cable System (WACS), MainOne, Glo1, ACE, and NCSCS, which are vital for international communications and data transmission in the country. These cables are responsible for facilitating international traffic into the country, with so much risk involved if caution is not applied by the construction firm.
The Federal Executive Council approved Phase One of the ambitious 700-km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project in February, entrusting the task to Hitech Construction Company Limited. The highway project was designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through the coastal states of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom, before culminating in Cross River. The construction of the highway has led to the demolition of numerous properties and recreational centres in Lagos to expedite the project.
In light of the developments, telcos stressed the necessity of stakeholder consultations with the Ministry of Works to address potential risks and implement robust mitigation measures. While dialogue with the Federal Government is yet to happen, telcos have warned Hitech Construction to exercise caution to prevent damage to critical national infrastructure. The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has confirmed that the Ministry of Works had yet to engage telcos on environmental impact assessment. The ALTON chairman said the Ministry of Works, headed by David Umahi, had engaged some stakeholders but excluded the telecom operators.
In March, a service disruption caused by cuts to the undersea cable supplying broadband Internet connectivity to Nigeria and countries in the West African sub-region forced many banks and other financial institutions, as well as telecom companies and allied firms, to scale down their operations. Experts have warned that the recent subsea cable cut, which disrupted connectivity in West Africa on March 14, 2024, could result in collective repair costs of about $8m for the four digital infrastructure companies affected, including MainOne Cable, the West African Cable System, the African Coast to Europe submarine cable, and the SAT3 subsea cable systems.
Overall, the ongoing construction work on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is yet to get close to the areas where the undersea cables and fibre cables are located. However, it is crucial to recognise that all submarine cables to Lagos are situated along that coastal line, which highlights the need for stakeholder consultations to address potential risks and implement robust mitigation measures.
