“The Internet is the nervous system of our global civilization; sever it, and society convulses.” Dr. Vinton Cerf, co-inventor of the Internet Protocol.
“The country that takes the lead in the sphere of computer-based artificial intelligence (AI) will rule the world.” Vladimir Putin, Russian President.
In today’s world, life without the internet is nearly unimaginable. It underpins almost every aspect of our daily lives, from communication and commerce to health, finance, aviation, education, and governance. As of July 2025, over 5.35 billion people, representing 66.2% of the world’s population, are connected to the internet (Statista, 2025). This dependence, however, has grown to such an extent that any significant disruption could spell catastrophe for global civilization.
Then there is Artificial intelligence (AI) which has become the order of the day.
Governments, Corporate Organizations and Individuals are all caught up in the craze relative to the use of AI. However, in the midst of this fad, we often forget the role of the internet in driving all these IT infrastructures.
In March 2024, this looming threat became a stark reality.
A mysterious outage in undersea fiber-optic cables caused significant disruptions across parts of West Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Banks struggled to process transactions. Airlines delayed flights. Hospitals faced electronic record downtimes. The digital world stood still, and the global economy felt the tremor. The incident raised one terrifying question: What happens if the internet goes down entirely?
The internet, though perceived as an invisible web, is a physical infrastructure that spans the globe. Approximately 99% of international data traffic travels through undersea fiber-optic cables, vast and intricate lines that stretch over 1.4 million kilometers under the oceans (TeleGeography, 2024). These cables are vulnerable to natural disasters, sabotage, and technical failure.
While satellite internet can offer redundancy, it currently supports only a fraction of global traffic and often lacks the bandwidth, reliability, or coverage to fully replace terrestrial or undersea systems.
On March 14, 2024, the world received a chilling preview of a potential internet blackout. Multiple undersea cables, including the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the South Atlantic 3 (SAT-3), and ACE, were reported damaged off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. Countries including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and parts of Europe experienced widespread connectivity issues for up to 48 hours.
The disruption affected banking services where ATMs and online banking platforms were rendered inaccessible, E-commerce transactions were delayed or failed, thereby crippling businesses, health systems’ access to cloud-based patient data was delayed, Government services like E-portals and communication lines shut down, and Flight reservations, check-in, and control systems of Airlines were slowed.
Satellite internet, particularly Starlink, became a temporary savior for critical infrastructure. In Ghana and Nigeria, for instance, a few hospitals, banks, and emergency response centers shifted to satellite backup to maintain minimal operations. However, many areas lacked the equipment or subscriptions necessary to benefit from this.
In Ghana, the National Communications Authority (NCA) had to speedily complete work on the approval process to enable Space X Starlink GH Limited, a branch of Elon Musk’s Space X, operate in the country, a development which led to a surge in the subscription of Starlink in Ghana.
The March 2024 incident reminded the world of the internet’s fragility. But what if both undersea and satellite systems go down?
Cybersecurity analysts and researchers have warned of the growing risk of:
- Solar flares: A powerful solar storm could damage satellites and ground-based infrastructure (NASA, 2024).
- Coordinated cyberattacks: State or non-state actors could target satellites, data centers, or cable landing stations.
- Space debris collisions: With thousands of satellites now in orbit, the risk of chain-reaction collisions grows.
- Geopolitical sabotage: In times of war, undersea cables and satellites may become targets.
On March 7, 2024, just days before the West African internet disruption, a Ghanaian independent researcher with a deeper appreciation of the Universal Systematic Intelligence Structure (USIS) of the universe, the Venerable Samuel Ato Duncan, sent a message that now seems eerily prescient:
“Dela, something is about to happen, which is just a dress rehearsal to a major phenomenon. The Internet is about to go down,” he said.
Before this time, he had also met with a group of about 25 people where he made similar pronouncements.
A few days later, the internet went down. According to Venerable Duncan, this was merely a signpost, a warning to humanity about a greater digital catastrophe ahead.
Asked how he was able to tell the internet was going to go down, he answered, “I have access to the Universal Systematic intelligence Structure,” he said.
He noted that humanity has become so comfortable with technological innovations that we often overlook the essence of digging deeper to uncover the excesses of technology and how changes in the universe can impact life.
Drawing from almost four decades of independent research, Venerable Duncan posits that our civilization’s increasing digital dependence could collapse if we fail to address the fundamental systemic flaws that underpin the world’s technological progress. He calls for a radical rethinking of our internet architecture and a return to investigating its original sources, not just in technological terms, but in terms of its alignment with the values of peace, equity, and sustainability.
“The peace of the world is tied to such developments,” he emphasized, “Hence, when we talk about global peace, there is the need to address the very fundamental issues that confront peace,” he said.
His perspective reminds us that digital peace is tied to global peace. A world where data is disrupted is a world where hospitals fail, diplomacy collapses, and economic chaos ensues. The result is chaos and anarchy.
A global internet blackout, even for a few days, could unleash chaos. Consider the following:
The Banking & Finance sector may lose $10 billion loss/day globally (Forbes, 2023); SWIFT, ATMs disabled, Patient data may be inaccessible while telemedicine is disrupted.
Global e-commerce, estimated at ($6.3 trillion in 2024) may be halted. Air traffic control, ticketing, and logistics may shut down, over 1.3 billion students may be affected (UNESCO), while surveillance, emergency response, and military communications will be paralyzed.
In 2022, the economic cost of internet shutdowns globally exceeded $24 billion (Top10VPN, 2023). If a full global internet collapse occurs, the loss could be immeasurable.
According to the Venerable Samuel Ato Duncan, his four decades of independent research has enabled him identify these foreseeable future phenomena, and, he is working on developing the necessary structures to avert such.
“We must not wait. Time is not on our side. This is the time for scientists to come together and create an alternative solution before this challenge comes back to disrupt the world. I dare say that the event of 2024 will visit us again, but this time, the effect could be very disastrous, hence the need to act now, “he said.
According to Ato Duncan, the earth has evolved since it’s inception. “Remember times when the technology we see today were non-existent. A Television remote control in the 1800s would have been rated the greatest wonder of all times. Over the centuries, humans through research and divine insight have developed systems and structures that make life worthwhile today.
According to scientists, the earth currently is known to be moving faster than it used to be. It is therefore important that humanity adequately prepares not only for the present but the future. Considering the significant role of the internet in the sustenance of life here on earth, it is crucial we direct our energy and resources towards it’s effectiveness in the face of the changing times,” he said.
Drawing from the insights of Venerable Ato Duncan, the world must consciously seek to comprehend the original source of the internet. He noted that the earth is sustained by a systematic intelligence.
Access to this systematic intelligence will enable humanity to navigate any eventual catastrophe that might affect the earth.
“I can assure you in all confidence that l have access to this intelligence and should the Internet go down today, l can fix it,” he said.
The world stands at a turning point in history. The internet, once a marvel of scientific collaboration, is now a potential Achilles’ heel. Its breakdown could paralyze the planet. But within this fragility lies a call, not only for better technology but for higher intelligence.
As the venerable researcher Samuel Ato Duncan foresaw, we must go beyond infrastructure to question the source and purpose of the internet. The internet must not only connect devices, it must connect humanity to higher values.
This is the time to act, to prepare, and to rethink our dependency. The catastrophe on the horizon can still be averted, but only if we look beyond the cables and satellites, into the soul of our civilization.
Honorary Professor Samuel Ato Duncan’s rise to prominence continues to marvel even his critics. Though not trained as a core scientist, his quest to unravel the science behind creation has led him to profound discoveries, which according to him, have the potential of revolutionizing the world.
Through his organization, The Center of Awareness Global Peace Mission, Ato Duncan continues to echo the need for humanity to retrace its paths back to the Creator in our quest for sustainable global peace. He has consistently organized annual peace lectures using it as a platform to drum home lessons from his research over the years.
To demonstrate his commitment to the ideals of global peace and the reality of his research on the global stage, he launched “A blueprint to sustainable global peace” at the Accra International Conference Center on the 18th of November 2024. The launch, which was attended by prominent traditional leaders, leading politicians, the clergy, leadership of the National Peace, the security services among others was streamed live on major National Television Networks in Ghana.
“With the launch of the blueprint to sustainable peace, the stage is now set for us to practically develop sustainable solutions towards addressing the challenges we face now and in the future,” he said after the launch.
He is the President General of the Center of Awareness Global Peace Mission, a non-profit organization that is championing the promotion of sustainable global peace across the world.
He maintains that “To every problem, there is a solution. Where a problem cannot be solved, it means the requisite knowledge out of which the solutions can drawn has not yet been acquired, he said.
My personal encounter with the renowned researcher over the years point to one thing: his commitment to developing practical solutions to promoting sustainable global peace. He has over the years committed huge resources from his personal investments into research and organizing initiatives aimed at achieving this Noble objective.
Characteristic of him is the fact that whenever he develops a solution aimed at addressing a need, he is always confident in the outcomes that he leaves no room for doubts.
My interest in writing this article lies in the fact that l have witnessed at firsthand the works of this noble man and can attest to the fact that there is something so unique about his research which is beneficial to the world.
It is worth noting that the Venerable Samuel Ato Duncan, having made a mark in the plant medicine industry, though not a core scientist, is making another entry into the area of advanced technology. Is the world ready to listen to his call? Can he make an impact in this area too? Only time will tell.
The writer Daniel Deladem Kisseih is a Journalist with passion for Africa’s transformation.
Email: dannycentralpress@gmail.com
