Transborder Submarine Fiber PoPs, Regional Smart Hub Facility and Data Centre
By Anonymous (not verified), 17 March 2026
PIDA Code
I.02.30.05
Project Status
Active
Project Stage
Transaction Support & Financial Close
Completion Percentage
0
Sector Name
ICT
Subsector Name
ICT Services
Alternative Names
EAC-IGAD Smart Hub; Mombasa Smart Hub; Regional PoP Network
Reference Plan
PIDA PAP 2
On SDM
Off
Summary
Project confirmed at S3A Project Structuring stage as of 2024 — one stage ahead of the 2022 assessment. ESG studies completed. PPP transaction advisory ongoing. July 18, 2025: Kenya and Tanzania officially launched a cross-border terrestrial fiber link connecting Dar es Salaam to Mombasa at the Lunga Lunga/Horohoro border post — a direct enabler of this Smart Hub corridor. Advancing toward PPP financial close.
Description
Interconnects Kenya and neighbouring countries — Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania — through strategically placed submarine fiber Points-of-Presence (PoPs) and a high-capacity Smart Hub Data Centre in Mombasa. The project reduces international routing dependency, improves intra-African data sovereignty, and enables secure digital corridors. It connects to the TEAMS and other submarine cables landing in Mombasa. Design throughput of 12 Tbps. 400 Gbps connectivity to TEAMS marine fiber. ESG studies completed. Suitable for PPP investment with strong coordination through EAC and IGAD. Serves an estimated 285 million potential users across East Africa.
Capex Cost
70.00USD million
Preparation Cost
5,000,000.00
Revenue Model
Infrastructure access fees, data center hosting, cloud services, and peering charges
Project Risk
PPP structuring complexity and private investor engagement requirements; Cross-border coordination across 6 EAC and IGAD countries; Technical implementation across multiple regulatory environments; Smart Hub location finalisation pending
Countries
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Stakeholders
East African Community
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)