Anxieties that have accompanied the three episodes of cable cuts in three months underscore Africa’s increased dependence on the internet for commerce and daily life.

Africa’s internet economy could reach $180 billion by 2025, according to estimates by Google and the World Bank’s private investment arm, the International Financial Corporation. That prospect should increase the sense of urgency among policymakers and service providers to build more resilience into the continent’s internet architecture.

Internet disruption in Africa tends to happen sub-regionally because cables run through multiple countries clustered together. “East Africa has one of the most advanced regional integration programs, perhaps only outdone by the…