Google Expands Africa Investments with New Subsea Cables, AI Tools for Students, and $9M Fund
Google has reaffirmed its commitment to Africa’s digital transformation with a new set of investments focused on connectivity, education, and innovation.
The tech giant on Thursday announced four new subsea cable hubs, free access to advanced AI tools for students, and a $9 million fund to support African universities and research institutions.
Google will establish four strategic subsea cable connectivity hubs across Africa’s north, south, east, and west regions. These hubs will create stronger digital corridors within the continent and connect Africa more directly with the rest of the world.
The investment builds on Google’s broader Africa Connect infrastructure program, which already includes the Equiano subsea cable along the west coast, the Umoja fiber optic route linking Africa directly to Australia, and the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg. To date, Google’s connectivity projects have enabled more than 100 million Africans to come online, with the Equiano cable alone projected to add billions of dollars in GDP growth to Nigeria, South Africa, and Namibia.
To support the next generation of African leaders, Google is also rolling out free one-year subscriptions to Google AI Pro for college students (18 and older). The program will initially launch in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.
With access to AI-powered tools like Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Research, students will benefit from personalized support for assignments, writing, and research—helping them learn, innovate, and prepare for the digital economy.
Google also pledged $9 million in new funding for African universities and research institutions over the next year. This comes on top of more than $17 million invested in the past four years, which has provided training, curriculum development, advanced AI models, and cloud computing resources.
The company further committed to training an additional 3 million young people and educators in digital and AI skills by 2030, building on its track record of having already trained 7 million Africans.
Alex Okosi, Managing Director for Google in Africa, said the investments reflect Google’s mission to empower Africa’s youth and digital economy:
“Africa’s digital economy holds immense potential, and it will be driven by the talent and ingenuity of its next generation. Today’s announcements, spanning AI education, advanced tools for students, and expanded connectivity, are a unified investment into the upward trajectory of the continent.”
These latest initiatives are part of Google’s $1 billion investment plan in Africa, which has already supported more than 150 startups across 17 countries, helping them raise $300 million and create thousands of jobs.
With a focus on AI, skills, and infrastructure, Google says it is committed to building a more connected, innovative, and digitally empowered Africa.
Go to TECHTRENDSKE.co.ke for more tech and business news from the African continent.
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