Google has announced plans to build Umoja, the first-ever fibre-optic cable directly connecting Africa with Australia.

This groundbreaking project is poised to enhance digital connectivity and economic integration between the two continents, the tech giant said in a statement on Thursday.

Anchored in Kenya, the Umoja cable will pass through several African countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, before making its way across the Indian Ocean to Australia.

The route also incorporates the Google Cloud region in South Africa, ensuring robust cloud service connectivity.

READ ALSO: DSS Debunks Storming Emir’s Palace

Google said, that in collaboration with Liquid Technologies, the Umoja cable will provide a highly scalable network path, featuring multiple access points to facilitate broader regional connectivity.

This infrastructure was designed to deliver reliable and expansive digital services, addressing the chronic issue of network outages that have historically plagued the region, the search engine giant stated.

Named after the Swahili word for “unity,” Umoja is a part of Google’s Africa Connect initiative, which includes the Equiano subsea cable project.

Google said the project was made possible with partnerships from leaders across Africa and Australia, stating that the project aimed to connect African people, businesses, and governments.

READ ALSO: Google Highlights 6 Ways AI Can Boost Music Creativity

Reacting to this development, the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, said access to the latest technology, supported by reliable and resilient digital infrastructure, was critical to growing economic opportunity.

“This is a meaningful moment for Kenya’s digital transformation journey, and the benefits of today’s announcement will cascade across the region,” he remarked.

In addition to today’s infrastructure announcement, Google will sign a Statement of Collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Information Communications and The Digital Economy to accelerate joint efforts in cybersecurity, growing data-driven innovation, digital upskilling, and responsibly and safely deploying AI for societal benefits.

Kenyan President, Dr. William Ruto, expressed his pleasure regarding Google’s investment in digital connectivity, calling it a historic achievement for Kenya, Africa, and Australia.

READ ALSO: Google To Offer AI-generated Answers In Search Results

He noted that the new intercontinental fibre optic route would greatly improve the country’s global and regional digital infrastructure.

“This initiative is crucial in ensuring the redundancy and resilience of our region’s connectivity to the rest of the world, especially in light of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables.

“By strengthening our digital backbone, we are not only improving reliability but also paving the way for increased digital inclusion, innovation, and economic opportunities for our people and businesses,” Ruto said.

Since Google opened its first Sub-Saharan Africa office in Nairobi in 2007, it has partnered with governments from countries across Africa on numerous digital initiatives.

READ ALSO: Google Doodle Celebrates Mexican Archaeologist On 128th Birthday

In 2021, Google said it committed to investing $1bn in Africa over five years to support a range of efforts, from improved connectivity to investment in startups, to help boost Africa’s digital transformation.

Since then, Google has invested more than $900m in the region and expects to fulfil its commitment by 2026.

The Australian Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland MP, said, “Diversifying Australia’s connectivity and supporting digital inclusion across the globe are both incredibly important objectives, and Google’s Umoja cable will help to do just that.

READ ALSO: HP Unveils World’s Most Powerful, Secure Ultra-Mobile AI PCs

“Australia welcomes Google’s investment and congratulates all those involved in undertaking this crucial initiative.”

As part of the collaboration, Google Cloud and Kenya will announce a partnership to strengthen Kenya’s cybersecurity.

The Department of Immigration and Citizen Services is evaluating Google Cloud’s CyberShield solution and Mandiant expertise to strengthen the defence of its eCitizen platform.

CyberShield enables governments to build enhanced cyber threat capabilities, protect web-facing infrastructure, and help teams develop skills and processes that drive effective security operations.

The city of Uvalde has reached a $2 million settlement with families of the victims of a 2022 mass shooting at a public school in the Texas city, one of the lawyers of the victims said on Wednesday, May 22.

The announcement comes nearly two years after a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Law enforcement officers killed the gunman in a classroom after waiting more than an hour to confront him, which was heavily criticized in the wake of the shooting.

In the settlement announced Wednesday, the city of Uvalde will pay a total of $2 million to the families of 17 children killed in the shooting and two children who survived, according to a statement from the families’ attorneys.

“Pursuing further legal action against the City could have plunged Uvalde into bankruptcy, something that none of the families were interested in as they look for the community to heal,” the statement said.

READ ALSO: Family Sues Texas Gov, Attorney-general After School Suspends Black Student Over Hairstyle

The money will come from the city’s insurance coverage, attorney Josh Koskoff told reporters at a news conference.

“These families could have pursued a lawsuit against the city, and there’s certainly grounds for a lawsuit,” Koskoff said. “Let’s face it, sadly, we all saw what we saw … but instead of suing the city and jeopardizing the finances of anybody, the families have accepted simply the insurance.”

The city said the settlement will allow people to remember the shooting while “moving forward together as a community to bring healing and restoration to all those affected.”

“We will forever be grateful to the victims’ families for working with us over the past year to cultivate an environment of community-wide healing that honours the lives and memories of those we tragically lost,” the city said in a statement. “May 24th is our community’s greatest tragedy.”

READ ALSO: College Volleyball Player Killed In US Nightclub Shooting

The families were also working on a separate settlement with Uvalde County, Koskoff said.

Javier Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie Cazares was killed in the shooting, said the last two years have been unbearable.

“We all know who took our children’s lives, but there was an obvious systemic failure out there on May 24,” Cazares said.

“The whole world saw that. No amount of money is worth the lives of our children. Justice and accountability have always been my main concern. We’ve been let down so many times. The time has come to do the right thing.”

“The settlement also includes the Uvalde Police Department committing to provide enhanced training for police officers and implement a new standard for officers to be developed in coordination with the U.S. Justice Department, according to the families’ attorneys.

READ ALSO: Young Woman Found ‘lifeless’ Behind Ebonyi Hotel (disturbing graphic)

“The city also committed to supporting mental health services for the families, survivors and community members, creating a committee to coordinate with the families on a permanent memorial and establishing May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, in addition to taking other measures.”

The families are also taking new legal action against 92 state Department of Public Safety officers and the school district, including former Robb Elementary School principal Mandy Gutierrez and Pete Arredondo, the school district’s police chief who was fired months after the shooting.

“Law enforcement did not treat the incident as an active shooter situation, despite clear knowledge that there was an active shooter inside,” Wednesday’s statement said. “… The shooter was able to continue the killing spree for over an hour while helpless families waited anxiously outside the school.”

Koskoff said the state’s officers on the scene could have done more to respond to the shooting.

They acted “as if they had nothing to do as if they didn’t know how to shoot somebody, as if they weren’t heavily armed and the most well-trained,” Koskoff said.

A group of Nigerian students have been thrown off university courses and ordered to leave the United Kingdom after they struggled to pay tuition fees on time, BBC reports.

The Teesside University students have said the devaluation of the naira has made it difficult for them to pay their tuition fees, leading to a breach of visa sponsorship requirements.

As a result, some students have been blocked from their studies, reported to the Home Office, and ordered to leave the UK.

The university claims it has no choice but to take this action, citing strict external regulations.

Affected students have expressed their distress and disappointment, feeling that the university is being “heartless” and not providing adequate support.

READ ALSO: ‘I’ve Become An Evangelist’ – Doyin Okupe

The group of 60 students, who chose to share their names with the BBC, banded together to urge the university to offer support after several of their peers faced severe consequences for defaulting on payments.

These students were abruptly locked out of their university accounts and forcibly withdrawn from their courses.

Adenike Ibrahim, a student who was close to graduating, had her visa revoked and was told to leave the country, despite having paid 90% of her tuition fees.

“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes,” she told BBC.

“I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.

“It has been heartbreaking for my son especially, he has been in so much distress since I told him,” Ibrahim added.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Students In UK Thrown Off University Courses, Ordered To Leave Country

Esther Obigwe, another affected student, has been struggling with depression due to the situation.

She claims she repeatedly tried to speak to the university about her financial struggles but received no response until she was blocked from her studies and received notice to leave the country.

Obigwe said, “I attended all of my classes and seminars, I’m a hell of an active student.

“It is disheartening, I am now on antidepressants and being here alone, I have nobody to talk to.

“For over two months, I’ve barely eaten or slept and I don’t understand why this is being meted at us, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

READ ALSO: UK Regulator Reports Air Peace Over Alleged Safety Violation

Jude Salubi, a student pursuing a degree in social work, was suddenly informed that his access to the university would be suspended and that he would be required to leave the country, despite being in the middle of a critical placement.

Salubi said he commuted from Teesside to Liverpool every weekend, working 18 hours to try to settle his outstanding fees

“As of now I have paid £14,000 and have a balance of £14,000.

“I am willing to come to an agreement as to how I will make this payment, but I need guarantees that I will be re-enrolled into school and my visa restored,” he said.

A university spokesman said, “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Students In UK Thrown Off University Courses, Ordered To Leave Country

“These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”

The spokesman acknowledged that the university is aware of the financial struggles faced by some students and has proactively offered customised payment plans to those who have requested them.

“This option has been taken up by many of our international students; however, some students have still defaulted on these revised payment plans,” he said.

The Home Office clarified that the decision to grant or withdraw visa sponsorship lies with the sponsoring institution

In cases where a visa is shortened or cancelled, individuals are advised to either regularise their stay or make arrangements to depart the UK, a spokesman told BBC.