Abdul Razak Hassan

Nigerian tech entrepreneur building Africa's first continent-wide fiber optic network

Abdul Razak Hassan is the visionary founder of MainOne, the company that laid the first submarine fiber optic cable connecting West Africa to Europe. His project revolutionized internet access across 15 African countries, reducing bandwidth costs by 80% and enabling the growth of digital startups like Flutterwave and Andela. The 6,400km cable system now carries 90% of Nigeria's internet traffic and forms the backbone of Africa's digital infrastructure.

Hassan's African Connectivity Initiative has brought high-speed internet to 300 rural communities through partnerships with governments and telecom operators. His work with the African Union's Digital Transformation Strategy helped establish continent-wide standards for digital payments and e-commerce. In 2021, MainOne became the first African-owned company to connect to the Americas via the ACE marine cable system.

His advocacy for digital inclusion led to Nigeria's National Broadband Plan which aims to connect 90% of the population by 2025. Hassan's TED Talk "How to Build a Digital Africa" has been translated into 12 languages and inspired similar infrastructure projects in Kenya and Senegal. He serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of the Internet.