Google is set to add four new fibre optic cables to enhance internet connectivity in north, south, east and west regions of Africa.

The firm says the investment is expected to create new digital corridors connecting Africa and the rest of the world. Google so far has invested in two sub-sea cables, Umoja which links Australia to Africa through South Africa and Equiano cable running along the western parts of Africa.

At the same time, the tech giant unveiled a Ksh 2.2 billion ($17m) funding to help expand artificial intelligence training capacity in African institutions of higher learning.

“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,” said Alex Okosi, Managing Director for Google in Africa.

African universities and research institutions will access the funding for curriculum, training and compute and access to advanced AI models over a four year period with an additional Ksh 1.2 billion ($9m) planned for the coming year.

“We are committed to providing the foundational infrastructure, the cutting-edge tools, and the financial support necessary for Africa’s youth to innovate, lead, and build a thriving digital world.”

Additionally, college students in Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe will be granted free one-year subscriptions to Google AI Pro plan.

The subscription provides advanced AI to students from Deep Research, which helps save time with custom research reports and in-depth information from hundreds of sources across the web, to Gemini 2.5 Pro, which provides help with assignments or writing.

Google says it has so far trained 7 million Africans and plans to train an additional 3 million students, young people, and teachers by 2030.