Nigeria is in advanced talks with Alphabet Inc.’s Google for a new undersea cable to strengthen the West African nation’s digital resilience, a senior government official said.

The country wants to augment existing undersea links with Europe, said Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general and chief executive officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency, who called Nigeria’s current reliance on cables that follow the same path “a single point of failure.”

According to Bloomberg, a Google spokesperson confirmed that talks were at an advance stage but declined to comment further. Google in September told Bloomberg it plans four new infrastructure hubs in Africa to connect its latest underwater fiber-optic cables for the continent.

Africa has suffered a series of internet outages due to damaged subsea cable, while the continent that is home to the world’s fastest-growing population, has a mounting demand for improved access to advanced technology including artificial intelligence.

Abdullahi, speaking in an interview in the capital, Abuja, said that Nigeria was talking to other tech giants alongside Google. Beyond connectivity, the nation also seeks to enhance investment in its digital infrastructure to improve access to reliable cloud and computer power needed to broaden its use of high-tech tools.

He said such investment could help turn Nigeria into a regional digital hub while supporting internet access and boosting economic activity in Africa’s most populous nation.