Every time I start a new computer networks class, I tell my students the same thing: "The Internet in Africa is just a connection to Europe." I tell them if you could dig a hole from here in Uganda, lay a cable, and connect it to a computer or a phone in London, you would never have to pay for the internet again.
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Standing in Nigeria, I felt the echo of history beneath my feet. This land was not just a modern nation; it was a nexus in the vast West African trade network, an empire of commerce that predated modern history. Centuries ago, caravans—the terrestrial fiber of their day—crisscrossed this region, carrying not just gold and salt, but culture, knowledge, and influence. Cities like Timbuktu and Gao were the great data centers, the IXPs where value was exchanged and amplified. When Mansa Musa made his pilgrimage, the world wasn't just stunned by his wealth; they were awakened to the existence of a sophisticated, self-sufficient economic system. He put his network on the global map.
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