South Sudan and Djibouti have reportedly signed a deal that will see a fibre optic cable laid across three countries.
Earlier this week South Sudan and Djibouti signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that would see a fibre optic cable run from Djibouti through Ethiopia to South Sudan.
According to South Sudan's Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, the MOU will be followed by the formation of a technical team from both countries to deliberate on the project. There is as yet no information on timings or vendor partners for the project.
South Sudan has also said that it is working closely with the World Bank to connect the country with another fibre optic cable from Kenya. This deal dates back to 2015 when the East African news service reported an MoU between the countries on the laying of a cable from Eldoret to Juba.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but years of civil war have made it difficult for the country to develop infrastructure to offer high-speed internet connections. Thus South Sudan is trying to develop fibre optic networks to link the national capital Juba with the rest of the world as well as cut the high cost of using the internet.
