out NEPAD ICT infrastructure project to connect Africa
29 August 2006
The East and Southern African Ministers responsible for Information
Communications Technologies (ICT) today signed the protocol for policy and
regulatory framework to implement the New Partnership for Africaâs Development
(NEPAD) ICT broadband infrastructure network in Kigali, Rwanda.
South Africaâs Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, also
joined her counterparts from the regions at the two-day e-Africa Commission
Ministerial meeting to sign the landmark protocol that sets in motion the
rollout of the Nepad ICT broadband network including the Eastern Africa
Sub-marine System (EASSy) cable.
The protocol commits the signatory countries to the construction and
operation of the NEPAD ICT broadband infrastructure network including the
fibre-optic EASSy cable. It further provides for the formation of the Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a consortium made up of the regions telecoms companies
and other operators to own, manage and maintain the EASSy cable as well as the
terrestrial network.
The framework further commits the African Union (AU) member countries to
harmonise their national policy and regulatory instruments to facilitate the
speedy formation and operation to these open access networks, independent of
who owns them.
The fibre-optic cable will cover about 9 900 km connecting the port city of
Durban, South Africa, to Port Sudan in Sudan. In his key address, President of
Rwanda Paul Kagame, highlighted the importance of the project conceived,
spearheaded and promoted by Africans.
President Kagame added that the project had all the ingredients of a success
story which includes affordability, reliability, non-discrimination, equity,
African ownership; Public Private Partnership (PPP), skills development and
technology transfer.
President Kagame thanked the governments of the region for their confidence
in Rwanda to base the headquarters of the EASSy SPV saying that his government
had already provided premises and resources to meet their commitments.
South Africaâs Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, who
gave the vote of thanks, assured President Kagame that the protocol was
designed by and will be executed by Africans and that development agencies will
be engaged within that understanding of an African led NEPAD project.
Highlighting the significance of the meeting Minister Matsepe-Casaburri
emphasised that âwe will not be connected until all Africa is connectedâ.
She said the fact that the network will be African owned, operated and
maintained was testimony to the fact that the people of Africa have come a long
way. âThe purpose of the network is to connect countries of the region to
themselves and to the continent and to the rest of the world and to do this in
a manner that will lower the cost to communicate,â says Dr
Matsepe-Casaburri.
The South African Minister added that the challenge now is for those who
have signed the protocol, to work with and assist those who have not signed in
order for them to come on board.
For enquiries contact:
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
Issued by: Department of Communications
29 August 2006
