The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced that it has awarded a feasibility study grant to Namibia’s Javilian Civils (Proprietary) Limited (Javilian) that will support the expansion of digital infrastructure across Southern and Central Africa.
Specifically, USTDA’s assistance will help enable the delivery of reliable, high-capacity internet to tens of thousands of people in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Namibia. Javilian has selected Maryland-based Total Impact Capital to conduct the study.
“USTDA is proud to partner with Javilian to address the need for affordable, reliable, and secure internet connectivity, bringing the benefits of the digital economy to rural and underserved communities,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director. “This support for high-quality digital infrastructure aims to create economic opportunity and open new avenues for innovative U.S. solutions to meet the region’s digital needs.”
The study will assess the deployment of a terrestrial fiber backbone and accompanying access infrastructure to connect inland areas to subsea cables along the Atlantic Coast. In addition to reaching new communities, the new infrastructure will provide a land-based redundancy to aging subsea cables, which experience frequent cable breaks, often leading to slow broadband speeds and unreliable connections. This access will ultimately drive economic growth and promote digital inclusion throughout the region.
“Javilian Civils is honored to be empowered by USTDA in the quest to help bridge the digital divide on the African continent and, in particular, sub-Saharan Africa,” said Jacques Nienaber, Javilian’s CEO. “Access to fast and reliable internet will not only contribute to better education and health services, but also enable economic activity, thereby alleviate poverty and bring about much needed improvement in the standards of living for communities in the region. We look forward to working with like-minded individuals, institutions and organizations to achieve this objective.”
USTDA’s assistance aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities, including the Digital Transformation with Africa initiative for expanded access to an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet; the Prosper Africa initiative; the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa; and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.