USTDA Backs AFR-IX Medusa Expansion to West Africa
AFR-IX Telecom Secures USTDA Funding to Expand Medusa Subsea Cable to West Africa
By Dan Swinhoe, Data Center Dynamics
September 25, 2025
AFR-IX Telecom has secured new funding from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to potentially expand the former’s European subsea cables south to West Africa.
Announced this week, the USTDA-funded assistance will fund a feasibility study the technical and commercial viability of extending the Medusa subsea cable from the Mediterranean Sea to Africa’s Atlantic coastline.
Further details on possible routes and landing points weren’t shared. AFR-IX has previously signed a deal with ACE to land the Medusa cable in Port-Gentil, Gabon, and the company has mentioned a planned landing point in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Subsea cables are the foundation for Africa’s digital future. Secure, reliable digital infrastructure provides the essential bandwidth and foundation to enable widespread use of a new generation of technologies like AI, quantum computing, and 6G solutions. These are all areas where U.S. companies provide trusted solutions and where USTDA is focusing its attention,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s acting director. “USTDA’s involvement in this project will help secure it against untrusted infrastructure providers that could manipulate markets, intercept data, and conduct surveillance to the detriment of the United States and our African partners.”
Set to go live this year, the 8,700km (5,405 mile) Medusa subsea cable system is set to run from the Carcavelos area of Lisbon in Portugal through the Mediterranean to Port Said, Egypt.
First announced in 2022, the 24-fiber pair system is due to land in Spain, France, the Italian island of Sicily, Greece, and Cyprus. It is also due to land on Africa’s northern coast at multiple points across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The system will offer 20Tbps per fiber pair.
Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX and Medusa Africa Submarine Cable System, said: “The Medusa Africa Submarine Cable System will be transformational for digital connectivity along Africa’s Atlantic coast, creating new opportunities for innovation, commerce, and social inclusion in the region. USTDA’s support is truly catalytic — turning an ambitious vision into a bankable project and accelerating the partnerships needed to bring it to life. At Medusa, we are proud to receive USTDA’s support, which underscores the importance of adding the United States as a partner to Medusa Africa.”
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