INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling

Junior is a young student at a technical college in Bangui , capital of the Central African Republic , getting set to resume studies at the University of Bangui . From childhood , he has restlessly pursued interesting and ambitious ideas . A recent one : building a humanoid robot called Mama Africa , to raise awareness about African culture and the fight against global warming . He worked on it outside class hours , assembling the robot entirely from recycled materials .

To function optimally , Mama Africa requires a high-speed Internet connection . Prior to 2023 , this quality of connection could not be guaranteed in the Central African Republic . The situation began to change that year , when a 900-kilometre-long network of fibre-optic cables landed in the country as an extension from neighbouring Cameroon and Congo . when it rained , the Internet speed was low . Now , thanks to fibre optics , we have a stable and fast connection , even during harsh weather . What is more , we can put Mama Africa online , so everyone can interact with her , wherever they happen to be ,” he says .

“ This project opens up the country in a new , digital way ,” says Mamady Souare , the African Development Bank ’ s Country Manager for the Central African Republic . “ We contributed by interlinking the country with its neighbours at the same time as establishing a digital centre . All that was missing was for the Central African Republic to complete the digital loop within the subregion . We are laying the foundations for proper digital development in the country .”

Among other things , the new cable has enabled the launch of a digital training centre at the University of Bangui . The centre offers a range of virtual and in-person training courses , access to computers , 3D printers and personalised workshops to teach young people how to harness the potential of fibre optics and bring their projects to life .

“ This centre gives students a unique opportunity to connect to the Internet at a lower cost ,” says Arc-ange Geoffroy Ouele- Nza-Bana Zacko , Head of Logistics and Asset Management at the Central African Agency for Digital Development , and a lecturer at the University of Bangui . “ Fibre optics represent a real blessing for us .”

“ In the initial phase that launched in 2023 , the speed offered to the population has increased threefold , from 3 Gbps to 10 Gbps ,” says Arc-ange . And this is just the beginning : the plan for the new cable envisions an expansion in coverage and speed , further opening up the Central African Republic to the world and propelling it towards a future defined by boundless innovation . p

Funded by the African Development Bank and the European Union to the tune of € 33 million , the new cable , is now rapidly ushering CAR into a new and unprecedented digital age .

Junior can readily attest to the difference . “ Previously ,

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