Nigeria's Digital Economy Vulnerable to Infrastructure Failures

• •March 2024 subsea cable failures cost Nigeria ₦273 billion in economic activity.
• •Over 5,900 fibre cuts reported in the first half of 2026, averaging 33 incidents daily.
• •Calls for investment in local digital infrastructure to reduce reliance on international connectivity.

In March 2024, an underwater incident off the West African coast caused failures in the WACS, ACE, MainOne, and SAT-3 submarine cable systems, leading to significant disruptions in Nigeria's digital economy. Banking applications, USSD services, and Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions were severely affected, resulting in an estimated economic loss of ₦273 billion over four days. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in Nigeria's reliance on concentrated digital infrastructure, with the Nigerian Communications Commission reporting 5,934 fibre cuts in the first half of 2026 alone. These disruptions stem from road construction, vandalism, and other damages to terrestrial fibre routes. The concentration of critical infrastructure in Lagos exacerbates the risk, as a major incident can have widespread repercussions. Calls for greater investment in domestic digital pathways have emerged, emphasizing the need for local switching and transmission infrastructure to enhance resilience. The situation underscores the dual challenges of physical vulnerability and governance risk in maintaining network availability during emergencies.