Internet Users in Nigeria, Ghana Suffer Connectivity Issues as Major Submarine Cable Cut Hits

Internet users in Nigeria are currently groaning over the inability to enjoy seamless internet connectivity.

Findings by Business Remarks revealed that multiple African internet connectivity providers have suffered outages following submarine cable cuts.

Techcabal in its report noted that MainOne, a major internet provider for most Nigerian banks and internet providers, also suffered a major fibre cut in Ghana that has knocked many major Nigerian banks offline, according to internal communication sent to bank staff.

An internet sensation and digital creator named Emeka Nobis stated in a Facebook post today “I don’t know if it’s me, but who else is having issues opening web pages? My livestream webpage can’t load. I’ve tried three different networks.Funnily enough, WhatsApp opens, but Telegram hangs. Facebook loads normally, but when I clock any link, the web page keeps dragging”

“It’s general. Even Canva and several other Apps aren’t opening”, Faustina Chineye also said.

“I’m experiencing same issues. WhatsApp and Facebook is working fine, but some apps ain’t opening on my phone.I don’t know whether is from MTN”, Another user, Vincent Pascal also lamented.

Also Read: MainOne Drives Broadband Penetration, Lands Submarine Cable in Cote D’Ivoire

Multiple sources have also confirmed that they have been unable to use their banking apps or access the internet smoothly since Thursday morning. Sterling Bank, a Nigerian bank, has issued a communication to customers informing them that some online banking activities have been “experiencing difficulties”. Lemfi, an African remittance startup, has also informed customers that it is experiencing a downtime.

“A technical team is actively working on a solution,” someone familiar with MainOne’s business told TechCabal.

Business Remarks findings also revealed that MTN Ghana is currently experiencing the network issue.

The telco posted an update on Instagram apologising for the challenges in accessing its data services.

According to MTN Ghana, this is due to a disruption on its international submarine cables.

Similarly, Seacom, a South African internet connectivity provider, told its customers that it is experiencing a service-affecting outage via the West African Cable System, a submarine network.