31 October 2024

Burundi and Zambia are to be connected via an underwater fibre optic cable, following an agreement at the Digital Government Africa Summit.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) paves the way for the cable to be submersed in Lake Tanganyika, connecting the Northern province of Zambia with Burundi’s southernmost province of Makamba. A yet-to-be named private firm has been contracted for the project.

Burundi will become the ninth country to be connected to Zambia by cable, after Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“The connection of the two countries will make Zambia a regional hub for information and communication technology,” said Felix Mutati, Zambia’s science and technology minister.