E-Business
Layer3 Explains How Local Cloud Services Reduce Risk of Submarine Fiber Disruptions
Life in today’s world is so heavily dependent on the internet, that disruptions to it may significantly affect the quality of social interaction, business, leisure, and public services available to us. Organizations are always seeking ways to improve things in this area, as it is often crucial to the success of their operations.
When Undersea Cables Break
Undersea communication cables are a vital part of the modern data transmission infrastructure. Nigeria owes its ability to access and interact with the internet to them. These fiber cables are laid under seas and oceans and stretch over thousands of miles to connect to the rest of the world with the physical storage facilities that hold the internet’s data. About 99% of international communication happens via this means.
Now, imagine that one or a few of these cables get broken. The impact on business for companies hosting their data in offshore public clouds is huge.
This scenario has recently played out in Nigeria. A major data service disruption occurred in mid-January, 2020, which saw internet users experience very slow loading speeds, as well as numerous failed banking transactions.
The disruption was caused by damage to two subsea fibre cables, SAT-3 and WACS, which connect countries along the West African coast to Europe. With the faults on these two cables, the quality of data transmission for many users in several African countries (including Nigeria) fell. It was estimated that it would take a week to fix the cables.
In the meantime, banks and other businesses that host their data in offshore public clouds had their affected by this failure leading to lost business, failed transactions, dissatisfied customers and high cost from adopting emergency measures, and adjusting to the alternative channels they have procured.
Preventing Business Disruption Resulting from Damaged Undersea Cables: Local Hosting as a Solution
So, how can we prevent disruptions to businesses like the one just described?
While having multiple backbone links to the Internet via multiple submarine cables sound like the sure way to avoid such calamities, this isn’t guaranteed as played out in this case affecting 2 different cables at the same time. Imagine the shock to companies who assumed they were safe because they were connected to the 2 backbones,
A safer, and cheaper, approach will be for companies to consider hosting their data locally as they will not have to worry about such disruptions. That’s a problem for organizations that rely on foreign cloud service providers.
In fact, hosting data locally help businesses and public sector agencies provide numerous other benefits other than mitigating risks submarine cable outages. Companies with their data hosted locally experience unprecedented performance from fast and easy access to their data.
This is because of the low single digit latency access to their data. It also allows them to know the physical location of their data, despite being in the cloud, which in turn helps them comply with data sovereignty requirements of the country. Technical support and fault resolution is also better and quicker as they can work more closely with their cloud service provider, and determine security strategies that are tailored to suit their peculiar needs.
Reducing Risks Through a Hybrid Cloud or Multi-Cloud Strategy
Companies should get more deliberate about their cloud strategy and spread out their risk over multiple cloud platforms. In other words, they can distribute their workloads across 2 or more clouds.
In cloud computing, there are two kinds of cloud: private cloud and public cloud. A private cloud is in the control of and used by a single company for its own purposes. They own the infrastructure that supports it. Public clouds, on the other hand, are offered by third parties and are available over the internet.
Companies may also distribute workloads using multiple cloud platforms to deal with different tasks. For instance, they may back up different kinds of non-sensitive files on various public cloud applications, while hosting critical data in their private cloud. This strategy is usually referred to as a multi-cloud solution.
Companies can also do more than just have different clouds for different purposes. They could deploy both private and public clouds for the same task. An example: the data they use can be stored in the private cloud, while services from the public cloud may be used to process it. This is what we refer to as a hybrid cloud strategy.
Layer3Cloud Offering Solutions that Reduce the Risk of Service Disruptions
Layer3Cloud offers cloud services and local hosting to companies in Nigeria that want to experience the performance of an edge cloud as well as reduce the risk of disruptions to their business. With its services running out of data centers within Nigeria, clients don’t have to worry about broken undersea communication cables or other problems that cause major network failures.
Layer3Cloud also provides services that alleviate the effects of network disruptions. Her remote backup, disaster recovery-as-a-service, and multi-cloud solutions ensure sustained access to data and business continuity even when one or a few network resources fail.
By deliberately pursuing a hybrid and multi-cloud strategy, companies that may already have contracts with hyperscaler public clouds such as Microsoft Azure, AWS and the likes, can distribute their workload across local cloud providers such as Layer3Cloud which will lessen the impact of Internet service disruptions on their business.
If you would like to find out how our services can help you mitigate the risks of internet service interruptions,
Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.
Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.
Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.
According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA, also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.
According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.
“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”
Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.
The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.
XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.
This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.
AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.
“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.
Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.
But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.
In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.
Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.
Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.
Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.
The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general, National Identity management commission (NIMC) has said that the commission is set to register 95 percent of Nigerians into the National Identity Database before December 2025.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote,, DG, NIMC
She made this statement at a press briefing to highlight the commissions goal aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly on digital governance and inclusive development.
The mass enrollment drive will be powered by a combination of improved infrastructure, expanded registration centres, and robust public sensitization campaigns.
As of May 2025, NIMC reports over 120 million Nigerians have been enrolled, and about 100 million more would be captured by December.
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