CSquared Completes Commercial Broadband Programme in Liberia with Support from Microsoft

CSquared has moved its Ganta broadband and digital skills programme from a grant-funded pilot to a commercially operated service.

GANTA, LIBERIA, September 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CSquared Group, the pan-African open-access wholesale broadband infrastructure provider, has completed a community connectivity and digital education programme, moving the service from a grant-funded pilot to a commercially operated network. The programme tests whether affordable broadband and digital skills, built together, can support greater digital participation and future AI readiness without continued subsidy.

Delivered with support from Microsoft, alongside Liberia's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Telecel Liberia, the Kids Educational Engagement Project (KEEP) and local partners, the initiative combines community broadband infrastructure with digital skills training.

Key outcomes
- Community Wi-Fi deployed across Ganta's busiest areas
- A 20-seat digital learning laboratory established at J.W. Pearson Public School
- Over 1,200 students gained digital skills training
- Service transitioned from a free pilot to commercial operation
- Local internet service providers (ISPs) developing affordable broadband products

From connectivity to capability
AI is part of everyday education, healthcare and commerce. Liberia has begun preparing through the Liberia AI Challenge, launched under President Joseph Boakai, AI training for civil servants with the UNDP, and a draft National ICT Policy.

Yet access remains a barrier: only around 30 per cent of Liberians were online at the end of 2025, leaving millions offline.

Ganta, a town of about 76,000 near Liberia's border with Guinea, reflected that challenge. Demand existed for digital services such as mobile money, education, communication and trade, but reliable connectivity and digital skills remained limited.

CSquared's approach addressed both simultaneously: infrastructure alone does not drive digital participation. It must be matched by the skills and confidence to use it.

Building infrastructure and digital capability
The project deployed community Wi-Fi across Ganta's busiest areas over CSquared's open-access fibre network with Telecel Liberia, launching free of charge to build adoption before moving to a commercial model.

During the introductory period, 33,000 residents connected. Usage expanded into e-payment, customer communications and day-to-day business operations.

CSquared and KEEP established a 20-seat computer laboratory at J.W. Pearson Public School, the school's first, providing digital learning access for over 1,200 students and, for many, their first experience using a computer.

KEEP provided a year of on-site support, training teachers in computer literacy, laboratory management and digital learning before ownership transferred to the school. This basic digital literacy and confidence provide the foundation that more advanced tools, including AI applications, need to become useful to first-time users.

A model beyond grant funding
Following the introductory period, the network moved to a paid service: $1 for three days at 2Mbps, or $5 for seven days at 5Mbps. CSquared is now working with local ISPs to develop affordable products for households and small businesses.

CSquared sees the shift from a grant-supported pilot to a commercial service as its most transferable result. Already, 10,000 residents or households pay for the service, evidence that demand extends beyond the free introductory period. Market traders and small businesses now depend on the network daily.

CSquared believes the Ganta approach, combining broadband with digital skills, can apply to other underserved African communities, where connectivity and capability must combine to support long-term growth and AI readiness.

Growing Liberia's digital infrastructure
CSquared has invested in Liberia since 2017, including over 250km of metropolitan fibre across Monrovia and Montserrado, over 350km of national backbone to the borders of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, 51 government institutions connected in partnership with the Liberian Government and USAID, and community Wi-Fi live in four towns: Gbarnga, Ganta, Kakata and Sanniquellie.

Ian Paterson, Chief Executive Officer of CSquared Group, said: "AI already exists. The challenge is ensuring communities can reach it and benefit from it. A town needs two connections to do that: the fibre that carries a signal, and the learning to use it. Ganta had both, and it shows what happens when they are built together: digital inclusion that can become commercially sustainable rather than staying dependent on grants."

Daniel Nyan Konah, Principal of J.W. Pearson Public School, said: "We are quite happy that we have this program in our school and continue to embrace the program. CSquared / KEEP Liberia program has brought changes in the lives of our students. They are able to browse the internet and play with the computer. We train the students in batches. When one batch graduates from the programme, another batch starts."

Brenda B Moore, Executive Director of KEEP Liberia, said: "KEEP Liberia is proud to continue our partnership with CSquared Liberia as we strengthen the Ganta ICT and reading lab. For a school that has never had a library, this upgraded space, now strengthened with reliable connectivity, is a timely and necessary investment. We're excited to support students, teachers, and community members as they build stronger reading habits and digital literacy skills."

Documentary
A five-minute documentary follows students, teachers and local business owners in Ganta, showing how connectivity, AI and digital skills support education, commerce and community life. It is available at www.csquared.com/connectingganta

***ENDS***

Sources
Liberia AI Challenge: TechReview Africa, techreviewafrica.com
Digital 2026: Liberia, DataReportal, compiled by Kepios, published 8 November 2025
UNDP AI training: "UNDP AI Sprint: Liberia Takes a Giant Leap in AI for Government"
Draft National ICT Policy: TechAfrica News
Liberia network footprint: CSquared Liberia country page, csquared.com/Liberia
KEEP partnership: KEEP Liberia, "KEEP Teams Up With CSquared", 15 June 2023, keepliberia.com
33,000 residents connected and 10,000 paying residents or households: CSquared internal network and billing data
Documentary: CSquared Microsoft.mov, runtime 5 min 18 sec, file dated 25 June 2026

About CSquared
CSquared Group is a pan-African open-access wholesale broadband infrastructure provider, delivering metropolitan fibre networks, national backbone infrastructure and community connectivity across Africa. With active operations in Uganda, DRC, Ghana, Liberia and Togo, and ongoing strategic expansion across West Africa, CSquared enables affordable, carrier-neutral connectivity that supports governments, mobile network operators, internet service providers and enterprises in expanding digital access, economic growth and long-term digital resilience. CSquared is actively supported by its shareholders, being Convergence Partners, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

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Connecting Ganta: Building Broadband, Digital Skills and AI Readiness in Liberia