CSquared Marks Significant Milestone in Advancing Liberia's Digital Connectivity

Monrovia, Liberia - January 24, 2024 - CSquared, a leading Pan-African technology company committed to fostering digital connectivity across Africa, yesterday celebrated a key achievement in its mission to bridge the digital divide in Liberia.

 

With a population of 5.2 million, Liberia faces challenges associated with low levels of digital infrastructure. According to Global Data Insights, at the beginning of 2022, Liberia’s internet penetration rate stood at only 22% whilst The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) reported Liberia as ranking 95th out of 100 countries in terms of the gender gap in internet access.

 

To address this critical need, CSquared, along with its partners at USAID and Digital Invest, committed to the construction of a 350 km backbone crossing 13+ towns in Margibi, Bong and Nimba counties, and connecting Monrovia to the Ivory Coast and Guinea borders. The backbone, which partially leverages utility infrastructure from the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), is Liberia's first open-access, safe, secure and interoperable fiber backbone network.

 

In a heartfelt acknowledgement, Edna Tay-Thompson, CSquared’s Liberia Country Manager said: “Our collective dream of connecting all Liberians is one step closer! Truly this backbone is a game changer in strengthening Liberia’s digital infrastructure, bringing access to reliable, affordable broadband to an additional 1 million Liberians.”

 

The establishment of an open-access backbone brings broadband services to currently unconnected communities, allowing for high capacity long distance transmission services for Liberian telecommunication operators, as well as enabling cross border connectivity to Liberia’s neighbors, Ivory Coast and Guinea. This transformational infrastructure deployment provides Liberia with much-needed redundant links and the ability to sell more wholesale international capacity, accelerating the adoption of broadband enabled services and driving digital development across the country.

 

Jim Wright, USAID Liberia Mission Director stated "CSquared's open-access fiber backbone and the capacity it will deliver to last mile service providers along its route is critical to advancing a diverse and competitive digital ecosystem in Liberia – one that can make the internet more affordable, accessible, and secure for all." USAID partnered with CSquared through its Mission in Liberia as well as the USAID Digital Invest program, an initiative of the U.S. Government’s Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

 

As a company that believes in the effectiveness of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to expedite national digital strategies, this deployment represents further evidence of CSquared’s track record of partnering with multiple public bodies. CSquared's partnerships with public bodies to date include partnerships: in Togo with SIN (Société d'Infrastructure Numérique - Digital Infrastructure Company), in DRC with SCPT (Société Congolaise des Postes et Télécommunications - Congolese Posts and Telecommunications Corporation), and in Ghana with the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).

 

CSquared’s partnership with the Government of Liberia and USAID began in 2016 with a focus on deploying open-access broadband infrastructure in Monrovia to address the challenges of internet penetration and gender disparity in the country.

 

Prior to this expansion, CSquared had deployed over 300+ km of open-access metro fiber in Monrovia and Montserrado. The network has connected over 433 base stations, government agencies, educational and medical institutions, as well as commercial buildings, contributing to a more connected and digitally inclusive Liberia. In addition to its operations in Liberia, CSquared has been steadfast in its commitment to providing open-access broadband infrastructure to transform communities in Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Togo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

ENDS

For any queries or an interview request, please contact CSquared at info@csquared.com

 

About CSquared

CSquared is a technology company, committed to a digitally connected Africa by making impactful investments into open-access broadband enabling infrastructure throughout the continent. While a basic connection is useful when it comes to Internet access, abundant, affordable broadband can transform communities and help people make the most of opportunities online. By investing in open-access broadband infrastructure and making it available to local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), CSquared helps bring high-quality broadband access across Africa at lower prices and more effectively than could be achieved by those ISPs and MNOs alone. For more information, visit www.csquared.com.