Google has announced a new wave of investments in Africa, reinforcing its nearly two-decade commitment to driving the continent’s digital transformation.
The announcement, made on Thursday, includes the establishment of four strategic subsea cable connectivity hubs, a $9 million research fund for African universities, and free advanced AI tools for college students.
The subsea cable initiative will create hubs in Africa’s north, south, east, and west regions, designed to build new digital corridors within the continent and beyond. The investment aims to expand connectivity, strengthen resilience, and boost economic growth.
This latest move builds on Google’s Africa Connect infrastructure program, which already includes the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg, the Equiano cable along Africa’s west coast, and the Umoja cable linking Africa to Australia. So far, Google’s investments have enabled 100 million Africans to access the internet for the first time.
The Equiano cable alone is projected to increase real GDP this year by an estimated $11.1 billion in Nigeria, $5.8 billion in South Africa, and $290 million in Namibia.
As part of its education-focused investments, Google will provide free one-year subscriptions to its Google AI Pro plan for college students aged 18 and above in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The subscription grants access to advanced AI tools, including Deep Research for customized reports and Gemini 2.5 Pro for academic support.
Google is also committing an additional $9 million in the coming year to African universities and research institutions. This brings its total research funding on the continent to over $26 million in the past five years, covering curriculum development, training, and compute access. To date, Google has trained 7 million Africans in digital skills and plans to train an additional 3 million students, youth, and teachers by 2030.
Speaking on the new commitments, Alex Okosi, Managing Director for Google in Africa, said: “Africa’s digital economy holds immense potential, and it will be driven by the talent and ingenuity of its next generation. Today’s announcements are a unified investment into the upward trajectory of the continent.”
These new initiatives form part of Google’s long-term $1 billion investment in Africa, which has also supported 153 startups across 17 countries through the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, helping them raise $300 million and create 3,500 jobs.
