The EC awarded the grant to Medusa through its Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways program with the objective to connect the Southern European Data Gateway with Atlantic Africa via a 24-fiber pair submarine cable system.
The Medusa submarine cable system links the Mediterranean countries in North Africa and Southern Europe through the Atlantic and the Red Sea.
The Medusa system is designed to strengthen intercontinental connectivity through the Mediterranean, and with the new grant will now be extended further into West Africa.
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According to Medusa, the expansion of the cable network will enhance interconnectivity between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, mitigating potential saturation from increasing connectivity demands.
"This investment marks a significant milestone in enhancing digital connectivity between Europe and Africa, fostering economic and technological development across the region," Medusa says.
"The project lays the groundwork for a dedicated African connectivity subsystem within the broader Medusa network, that is, conducting the marine survey from a dedicated Branching Unit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, surveying potential branch routes along the African west coastline."
Medusa Africa is one of 21 initiatives selected in the third round of CEF Digital funding. Among these is Atmed Malta – DG (Atlantic-Mediterranean Data Gateway), another AFR-IX Telecom project, which will integrate Malta into the Medusa network and has been awarded €3,7 million in funding.
These grants are part of the European Commission’s broader €420 million investment in digital infrastructure, of which €142 million is allocated to submarine cable projects.
In addition to MEDUSA AFRICA and ATMED Malta – DG, AFR-IX telecom has secured funding for several other strategic projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program.
