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The Kigali Protocol: A policy and regulatory framework to accelerate development of ICT broadband infrastructure in Africa

Submitted by nepadadmin on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:56.

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Because many countries in Africa still rely on foreign owned satellite networks for regional and international telecommunications links, the NEPAD ICT broadband infrastructure project was conceived, amongst other objectives, to reduce Africa’s dependence on foreign owned telecom networks.<o:p></o:p> In August, 2006, under the auspices of the African Union, seven (7) countries from Eastern and Southern Africa signed a protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. Subsequently, five more countries from the region signed the protocol before the cut-off date of 30 November, 2006. To date, the protocol has been ratified by eight of these twelve countries and has been in force since February, 2008. Now known as the Kigali Protocol, the protocol enshrines an ICT policy and regulatory framework within which the NEPAD Network can developed, owned, operated and maintained. Initially developed for countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, the protocol will be extended to all African countries after appropriate amendments have been made. The Protocol is guided by policy principles based on non-discriminatory, open access and equitable joint ownership of the backbone infrastructure across the region; the use of Special Purpose Vehicles( SPV’s) to build, own and operate the NEPAD Network, which is considered a ‘’public good’’; and the need to apply the principle of Public Private Partnership to develop the network. Among other objectives, the protocol promotes and facilitates the provision of ICT broadband infrastructure on the continent that will support high-quality speed and reliable electronic communication at affordable prices for end users. The protocol is based on open-access principles and promotes the incorporation of existing national networks, subject to agreement by the countries concerned, where applicable and practical, into the NEPAD Network. To that end, a Ministerial Inter-Governmental Assembly (IGA), comprising of Ministers responsible for ICT /and or Telecommunications, has given the NEPAD e-Africa Commission the task to design and implement two networks in collaboration with other stakeholders. The first network, named UHURUNET, will be the submarine segment and the second one, UMOJANET, will be the terrestrial segment. Feasibility studies for both segments have been already done. For now, the objective is to cater for all African countries in the Protocol and to ultimately make these networks a reality in order to bridge the huge digital divide the continent still faces. For more information contact Dr Edmund Katiti<o:p></o:p> <a href="mailto:ekatiti@eafricacommission.org">ekatiti@eafricacommission.org</a> <a href="/">www.eafricacommission.org</a>

IMPLEMENTATION OF UHURUNET SUBMARINE CABLE

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 00:00.

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A DREAM COME TRUE FOR NEPAD <o:p> By Gilles Eric FOADEY <o:p>In Paris on the 5th of June 2010 in the presence of representatives of various African Governments, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) and twenty (20) Telephone Companies supported by their Countries endorsed Uhurunet, the submarine segment of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network. </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p><o:p></o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p>   <o:p></o:p><o:p>Baharicom Development Company, developer of the Uhurunet submarine cable system, was joined by France Telecom and 18 other companies to sign the Construction and Management Agreement for the ACE /Uhurunet cable system. </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>   <o:p></o:p><o:p>T</o:p><o:p>he Uhurunet submarine cable system in its planned configuration will be 17,000 km-long fiber optic cable that will stretch from France to South Africa and will be operational in the first half of 2012. It will connect 23 countries, either directly for coastal countries or indirectly through terrestrial links for landlocked countries Mali and Niger.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p>   <o:p>Speaking at the official ceremony, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Assane MAYAKI stated that” Uhurunet is essential to the African Union’s plan to bring broadband connectivity to all African countries, their governments and businesses, schools and universities, hospitals and communities’’ and therefore” NEPAD is happy to be one of the sponsors of Uhurunet’’. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p> Under the sponsorship of NEPAD, Baharicom will operate as a carrier’s carrier providing a full spectrum of Internet, voice and data services to telecommunication carriers, Internet Service Providers and others. Baharicom will have landing stations in Africa’s two largest markets, South Africa and Nigeria, as well as in Ghana, Tenerife, Angola, and Namibia. It will have access to all the landing points in the ACE/Uhurunet system.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> As the single largest investor in the ACE Consortium, Uhurunet will be the largest holder of capacity on ACE/Uhurunet cable. The ACE/Uhurunet system will pioneer the new 40 Gbps Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technologies, which are currently being tested for deployment as part of the most advanced submarine cables. With an overall potential capacity of 5.12 Tbps, the systems will accommodates tomorrow's ultra-broadband networks.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The ACE/Uhurunet project represents an overall investment of around USD 700 million for the consortium. Baharicom will invest 240 million USD in the project. Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks has been awarded the supply contract of the system, with Tyco as a subcontractor.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> This achievement is a dream comes true for NEPAD and is the result of the tireless efforts of the ICT Broadband Infrastructure team. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> In 2012 the Uhurunet submarine cable will be completed and the African citizens will use this bridge to cross into the global information society and knowledge economy. <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p> </o:p></o:p>

RESOLUTIONS OF THE 2ND ANNUAL MINISTERIAL COMMISSION MEETING OF THE NEPAD E-AFRICA COMMISSION

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 12:59.

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We, the Ministers in charge of the ICT programme of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) having met in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dakar</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Senegal</st1:country-region></st1:place> from 8th to 9th June 2010; <o:p></o:p>RECALLING the decision of the AU Assembly (Assembly/AU/Dec.17 (XIV)) on the Integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union, including the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA); <o:p></o:p>AWARE that the NEPAD e-Africa Commission is mandated to develop and coordinate implementation of the AU / NEPAD ICT programmes in the African continent; <o:p></o:p>RECOGNISING the following:<o:p></o:p>1. the commitment of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative to support participating countries in their efforts to ensure quality, robust, secure, reliable, and sustainable broadband connectivity to the Internet and online educational resources and networks by 2015; <o:p></o:p>2. that a policy and regulatory framework for the development of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network framed in the Kigali Protocol is currently under review;<o:p></o:p>3. that the development of the submarine component of the Network (Uhurunet) and the cross-border terrestrial component of the Network (Umojanet) is being implemented within the framework of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP); <o:p></o:p>NOTING the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Declaration of Principles regarding the building of the Information Society and the pivotal role that ICT can play in meeting the Millennium Development Goals;<o:p></o:p>And being fully committed to the on-going integration of NEPAD into the Africa Union structures; <o:p></o:p>HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:<o:p></o:p>1. The governance structures for ICT in the NEPAD Agency and African Union Commission (AUC) be harmonized by merging the Ministerial Commission and Executive Committee of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission with the African Union Committee on ICT Ministerial Conference (CITMC);<o:p></o:p>2. Commend the NEPAD Agency and the AUC for the on-going harmonization of their ICT programmes in order to increase synergy and collaboration;<o:p></o:p> 3. Urge the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to mainstream its strategic plan into the NEPAD Agency strategic themes; 4. Encourage national governments to categorize the provision of information and communication technologies, including broadband connectivity, to schools as a Universal Access issue; 5. Urge Ministries in charge of Information and Communication and the Ministries of Education to prioritize the provision of broadband connectivity to secondary schools and to include this issue in the policies and plans of the respective ministries; 6. Encourage national governments to ratify or accede to the Kigali Protocol and call upon all stakeholders to actively participate in the on-going review of the Kigali Protocol; 7. Call upon public and private sector investors to participate in the development of Uhurunet and Umojanet; 8. Charge the NEPAD Agency to develop frameworks and tools and to promote and facilitate the development and dissemination of digital content; <o:p> </o:p>We sincerely thank the Head of State, the government and the people of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Senegal</st1:country-region></st1:place> for their warm hospitality and excellent organization that led to the success of this important meeting. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Done in Dakar on Tuesday the 8th of June 2010.

Meeting of ICT Ministers from NEPAD e-Africa Commission Members States

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00.

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05/31/2010

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After the November 2008 meeting in Johannesburg, the second meeting of NEPAD e-Africa Commission ICT Ministers will be held from 7 to 9 June 2010 at the Meridian President Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. This important meeting will be held under the auspices of the African Union and will be jointly organised by the NEPAD Agency and the Senegalese government. <o:p></o:p>It will be attended by 20 African Ministers of Information and Communications Technology who make up the NEPAD Heads of State and the Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC); two (2) African Union Commissaries (Human Resources, Science and Technology, Energy and Infrastructure); the NEPAD Executive Secretary; the 20 members of the Commission’s Executive Committee and ISPAD Forum participants (Information Society Partnership for Africa’s Development).<o:p></o:p>Three key events will mark this meeting to which more than a hundred participants are expected.<o:p></o:p>· 7 June – Meeting of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Executive Committee: the Executive Committee is the organ which steers the NEPAD e-Africa Commission between Commission meetings and its members include senior ICT officials from the NEPAD Heads of State and the Government Orientation Committee. It is presided over by the Executive Secretary of the NEPAD Planning and Co-ordination Agency (NPCA), Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki. It will examine, in particular, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission’s report on its activities, projects and programs; its financial report and questions linked to the Commission’s governance. It will also examine the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan conceived to give new direction to the NEPAD e-Africa Commission’s programs and projects in direct line with the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union, following the decision taken by the Heads of State during their last summit in Addis-Ababa in January 2010.<o:p></o:p>· 8 June- Meeting of the Ministerial Commission: made up of 20 ICT Ministers from NEPAD, the Commission is the highest decision-making body. It should proceed to the validation of the propositions which will be submitted to it by the Executive Committee and adopt declarations relating to the way the NEPAD e-Africa Commission functions, considering the integration of NEPAD within African Union structures.<o:p></o:p>· 9 June- The Information Society Partnership for Africa’s Development (ISPAD) Forum: the Forum promotes Public-Private Partnerships in order to establish ICT development projects. It brings together members from government, civil society and the private sector who, together with the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, create synergies for the implementation of ICT projects throughout the continent. This initiative currently involves South Africa participants as well as participants from multinational companies that are based in South Africa, but it should be enlarged to the scale of the continent. The Dakar Forum will be in line with this process. <o:p></o:p>Background The NEPAD e-Africa Commission was established in October 2001, after the creation of NEPAD, by the African Ministers of Communications who met under the auspices of the Surveillance Ministerial Committee (SMC) of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), who decided to put in place a new continental organ which would address modify the paradigms of the development of the ICT sector in Africa.<o:p></o:p>In November 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, the Heads of State and Government implementation Committee decided to make the e-Africa Commission the NEPAD instrument responsible for drafting policies, strategies and projects at the continental level, as well as managing the structured development of the ICT sector within NEPAD.<o:p></o:p>In his capacity as the Co-ordinator of NEPAD’s ICT chapter, His Excellency President Abdoulaye Wade is the Honorary President of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission. <o:p></o:p>Presently, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission has projects in operation and some in the course of execution throughout the Continent within the domain of education and infrastructure. These consist of the NEPAD e-Schools initiative, present in 16 countries in the continent including Senegal, as well as the NEPAD broadband network with the implementation of undersea and terrestrial cables which will facilitate communication between African countries and the rest of the world. The undersea segment of the network running from France to Cape Town in South Arica is currently being implemented by the ACE Consortium (Africa Connect to Europe) of which NEPAD and SONATEL, representing Senegal, are members.<o:p></o:p>For further information please contact:<o:p></o:p>In Senegal: Mr Mamadou Moustapha Seck, President of the Communications Sub-Commission. Tel: +221 77 638 48 25. Email: <a href="mailto:mamadoumoustapha@gmail.com">mamadoumoustapha@gmail.com</a> Dakar, Senegal. Website: <a href="http://www.telecom.gouv.sn/">www.telecom.gouv.sn/</a> <o:p></o:p> In South Africa: Mr Gilles Eric Foadey, NEPAD e-Africa Commission Secretariat, Communications Manager. Tel: +27 12 841 4523/ + 27 73 530 6654. Email: <a href="mailto:gfoadey@eafricacommission.org">gfoadey@eafricacommission.org</a> Pretoria, South Africa. Website: <a href="/">www.eafricacommission.org</a>

Dr. Henry Chasia bows out

Submitted by nepadadmin on Tue, 04/20/2010 - 11:08.

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By Gilles Eric FOADEY After 9 years at the helm of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, Dr. Henry Chasia has bowed out to enjoy his retirement. He will be remembered as a fore-runner among Africans who, from very early on, have worked hard to bridge the digital divide. Elected Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 1994, Dr. Chasia spent more than six years in Geneva before being appointed the first Executive Deputy Chairperson of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, of which he was an active founding member, in 2001. The e-Africa Commission was set up in October 2001 by African Ministers responsible for ICTs. In September 2002, after NEPAD was established, the Steering Committee of NEPAD decided to adopt the e-Africa Commission as the NEPAD task team in charge of managing the structured development of ICTs in the African continent within the NEPAD context. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is presently presided over by the CEO of NEPAD and is run on a day-to-day basis by an Executive Deputy Chairperson. This responsibility fell to Dr. Chasia for almost nine years. With about 10 identified areas of competence ranging from ICT infrastructure and development, local content, software development, to human development, capacity building and e-strategies in the fields of governance, health and education, the Secretariat of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission first focused on two priority programmes, namely the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme and the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative, both adopted as priority projects by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee in 2003. For Dr. Chasia, this decision by the Heads of State certainly responds to the diptych that is so close to his heart, i.e. that we need well-trained young people to have access to the infrastructure and applications that they offer. This certainly explains the concentration of efforts in the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network and the e-Schools Initiative. The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative The general objective of the Initiative is to master new technologies to improve the quality of teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools in Africa, with a view to providing African youths with knowledge and skills which will allow them to fully participate, confidently and efficiently, in the information society and knowledge economy. As of today, on the ground, the initiative can be seen in 16 African countries. It is now a question of replicating it in the rest of the continent by entrenching the initiative, providing harmonious training for teachers and establishing a pedagogical portal. The NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network After many unsuccessful attempts, the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network is now beginning to take shape. The purpose of the Network is to connect African countries to one another and, in turn, to the rest of the world through existing and planned submarine cable systems. The primary aim of the program is to integrate the continent so that commercial, social and cultural exchanges are easier and cheaper. Made up of two segments, submarine (Uhurunet) and terrestrial (Umojanet). Once the network is in place it will offer the following advantages to the people of the continent: <ul> <li>Abundant broadband capacity which will reduce the digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world, as well as between African countries.</li> <li>Much cheaper regional and international communications, which will allow affordable access to communication services to more people throughout the continent.</li> <li>Reliability and enhanced quality of regional and international connectivity.</li> </ul> All in all, Dr. Chasia should be pleased to witness the Western segment of Uhurunet come into existence through the presence and participation of NEPAD in the ACE Consortium linking Europe to Africa on the West Coast. From now on it will be the responsibility of his successor to finalize and realize his dream of connecting Africa. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the NEPAD CEO and Chairman of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, has no doubt that the NEPAD e-Africa Commission team “will improve by giving its best”. However, there are enormous challenges ahead. With the integration of NEPAD into the AU structures and its subsequent transformation into a Planning and Coordinating Agency, it will be up to the actors of the new NEPAD Agency, together with the Secretariat of the e-Africa Commission, to make sure that the cross-cutting aspect of ICTs in NEPAD’s programs are indeed taken into account. For this to happen, intelligent integration that facilitates the continuation of the Commission’s projects and programs are much needed. No doubt that the meeting of the e-Africa Commission’s governance bodies which will be held in Dakar, Senegal, on 7 and 9 June will look closely at this issue. Ultimately, and according to the words of Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency, we should “clearly recognize Dr. Chasia’s immense contribution to NEPAD and to the continent in the ICT field” and “build on the legacy handed down” through his service. For the time being, Mr. Adama Deen, NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Advisor, is acting in the place of Dr. Henry Chasia to manage the daily running of the Secretariat of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission pending the recruitment of his successor, in accordance with the norms and procedures of the AU.

ECOWAS STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP ON NEPAD ICT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 04/09/2010 - 00:00.

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Introduction<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>The ECOWAS workshop on NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network was declared opened by Alhaji Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, Hon Minister of State for Information and Communications, and was attended by over 100 participants from the following African countries: Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>The Opening session was chaired by Prof N.A. Damachi, Permanent secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, in the presence of the special guest of Honour, Hon Gideon Quarcoo, the Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Communications Ghana. <o:p></o:p>   Presentations<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>Presentations were made by a number of participants on<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>§ NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network Programme<o:p></o:p>§ Overview of the Protocol on regulatory and policy framework for the NEPAD network<o:p></o:p>§ Report on the results of the study on the inventory of ICT infrastructure in West, Central and North Africa<o:p></o:p>§ Overview of the Status of ICT broadband infrastructure in ECOWAS region<o:p></o:p>§ Status of UHURUNET<o:p></o:p>   Discussion<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>Following discussion of the various pertinent issues, the workshop agreed as follows:<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>1. Universal Access Funds should be utilised for ICT projects beyond providing rural access.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>2. The workshop expects that the implementation of new submarine cables will lead to reduced costs of communication.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>3. The region recognises the need to dismantle regulatory bottlenecks to provide the platform for attracting investments on the development of integrated ICT infrastructure projects.<o:p></o:p>4. There is a need for West, Central, and North Africa to adopt the Kigali Protocol with appropriate amendments.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>5. There is a need to discourage protectionist tendencies in favour of establishing a competitive platform for infrastructure development.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>6. There is a need to invest on the development of contents alongside with the development of infrastructure projects.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>7. African countries should provide seed money for infrastructure projects for which they seek large scale funding.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>8. The workshop noted the significance of consultation of all stakeholders on the development of ICT infrastructure.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>9. The workshop recommended that efforts should be made to bring African Ministers of Communication and Information to sensitize them, about implications, challenges and benefits of an integrated infrastructure in Africa.<o:p></o:p>   On the way forward the workshop agreed that:<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>1. All ECOWAS countries should be given copies of the Communiqué and the Draft Protocol on Policy and Regulatory Framework for the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>2. All ECOWAS countries should conduct in-country stakeholder workshops to get stakeholders views, comments and proposed amendments on the draft protocol. The Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs must be involved in the stakeholder consultations.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> <o:p></o:p>3. The Ministry responsible for ICT in each country will forward to the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, before the end of May 2010, the stakeholder views, comments, and proposed amendments to the protocol.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>4. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission will convene an Inter-Governmental Working Committee meeting in June or July 2010, to consider the views, comments, and proposed changes to the protocol from the ECOWAS region.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>In conclusion, the workshop expressed appreciation to ECOWAS and the Government of Nigeria in providing resources to host the workshop.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>Abuja, Nigeria, 16 March 2010<o:p></o:p>

African leaders strengthen NEPAD – as it transforms into an implementing Agency

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 00:00.

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Midrand, South Africa (8 February 2010) - The 14th African Union (AU) Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 25 January – 2 February 2010, decided to strengthen the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) programme by transforming the NEPAD secretariat into an implementation Agency – the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA). NPCA now has a clear mandate “to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of continental and regional priority programmes and projects”, according to the AU Assembly Decision No. AU/14 (XIV) of 1 February 2010. The NPCA is also mandated”to mobilize resources and partners in support of their implementation”, the decision stipulates. Welcoming the AU decision, the CEO of the NPCA, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, described the leaders approval as a “positive move”, which is in line with the overall vision and mission of the African Union. The Assembly also endorsed the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the AU and authorized the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to exercise supervisory authority over the NPCA, “whilst giving the new agency adequate and necessary flexibilities to carry out its mandate and thereby maintaining the corporate brand identity of the NEPAD Programme within the African Union.” “This decision has strengthened NEPAD. We now have a clear and adequate mandate to focus more on project implementation in African countries,” said Dr. Mayaki. Dr. Mayaki called on the personnel of the former NEPAD Secretariat to redouble their efforts to live up to the expectations of the African leaders, who approved the transformation from the Secretariat into a full-fledged implementing Agency. It would be recalled that a few media outlets initially misunderstood the transformation to mean dissolution of the NEPAD programme. For more information and interview requests, please contact: Andrew Kanyegirire: +27 (0) 83 704 4506 <a href="mailto:%20andrewk@nepad.org">andrewk@nepad.org</a>

Baharicom Development Company Joins ACE

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 00:00.

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Major progress in Development of Uhurunet submarine cable Baharicom Development Company (BDC) recently signed an MoU with the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) Consortium*, to co-build a submarine cable that will stretch from France to South Africa, connecting all countries along the West coast of Africa <o:p></o:p> <o:p>BDC (the company that is charged with the development of Uhurunet; the submarine segment of the NEPAD Network) has achieved a significant milestone in the development of the Uhurunet submarine cable by joining the ACE consortium. This jointly developed submarine cable will form part of the Uhurunet submarine cable ring that will circumscribe the African continent and make provision for connecting all African coastal countries as well as the islands around the continent. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>While the ACE submarine cable was originally planned to extend from Europe to Gabon, the collaboration with BDC means that the cable will now be extended all the way to South Africa, and will ensure that every country on the West African coast is connected to the cable. The ACE cable system, which will be more than 14,000 km long, will be ready for service in 2011. It will include state-of-the-art submarine cable technology with a minimum capacity of 1.92Tbit/s, capable of providing the network connectivity required to meet the needs of African countries. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Prior to this, BDC had signed a Landing Party Agreement (LPA) with SENTECH, a publicly owned South African company that is licensed to provide telecommunications services in the country. The LPA will permit ACE/Uhurunet to land in South Africa.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>BDC is currently seeking Landing Party Agreements with local partners in every country where it will establish a landing station. BDC is also considering the use of existing landing stations where agreements can be reached with owners of those landing stations. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Meanwhile, BDC is continuing negotiations with several submarine cable developers to realize the Uhurunet segment along the East coast of Africa. Similar negotiations are ongoing for the North African segment.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>The objective of the NEPAD ICT infrastructure programme is to ensure that every country in Africa is connected to its neighbours by a broadband network and, in turn, to the rest of the world through existing or planned submarine cable systems. To this end, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission is promoting the development of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network, which consists of a submarine segment, Uhurunet, and a terrestrial network, Umojanet.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Uhurunet and Umojanet are being developed within the framework of a Ministerial Protocol signed in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2006 under the auspices of the African Union. <o:p></o:p>Bandwidth on Uhurunet and Umojanet will be provided to all licensed service providers on a non-discriminatory, open access basis as stipulated in the Kigali Protocol. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The NEPAD ICT Development Trust created by the Inter-Governmental Assembly (IGA), will hold 20% of the shares in BDC, which will, in turn, hold a minority stake in Baharicom, the company that will operate the Uhurunet submarine cable once completed. The majority of the shares in Baharicom will be owned by entities from across the African continent. Entities that are interested in this investment opportunity should contact Dr Edmund KATITI at: <a href="mailto:ekatiti@eafricacommission.org">ekatiti@eafricacommission.org</a> *The current 25 members of the ACE Consortium are: Baharicom Development Company, Benin Telecoms, Camtel, Côte d’Ivoire Telecom, Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes, Etisalat Nigeria, Expresso Telecom Group, France Telecom, Gamtel, Getesa, Globalink, Maroc Telecom, Mauritano-Tunisienne des Télécommunications, Mauritius Telecom, Office Congolais de Poste et Télécommunication, Orange Bissau, Orange Cameroun, Orange Côte d’Ivoire, Orange Guinée, Orange Mali, Orange Niger, Orange Spain, Sierratel, Sonatel, Togo Telecom.<o:p></o:p> </o:p>

Extraordinary Conference of AU ICT Ministers

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 14:50.

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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have contributed to change the lives of ordinary Africans and will continue to be an invaluable tool for the socio economic development and integration of the continent. This was the view expressed by African Union Ministers in charge of Communication and Information Technologies (CITMC), gathered on Thursday 5 November in Johannesburg, South Africa. By taking into account the importance of the ICT sector in economic growth during the past year, Africa needs to come up with concrete financial and political recommendations on critical issues that will accelerate the development of the ICTs as an industry and as a catalytic tool for development, and to deal with challenges being experienced. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>The ministers commit themselves, among other things, to “integrate ICT into national imperatives programmes including education training system and public administration with a view to produce a critical mass and increase skilled human capital to promote access and use of ICTs at 10% growth rate per annum’’. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>They are also willing to work together to promote the use of Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) as they are critical national resource, whilst ensuring that the technical and administrative operations are at international standards to foster trust and use of African Domain names in order to bring financial , economic and socio cultural benefits to Africa. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Recommendations were therefore made to urge the AU Commission, UNECA, RECs, Member States and specialized institutions with all other African ICT stakeholders to establish appropriate institutional arrangements and mechanism to interconnect ICT backbones including national and regional Internet Exchange Points with the objective of lowering the tariffs and providing a better quality of service; and also to” direct the Ministers of Finance to work in close cooperation with the Ministers in charge of ICTs in order to identify innovative funding mechanisms to enable Member States to contribute to the African Union Communication and Technologies Fund.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>These recommendations will be forwarded to the African Union Heads of State and Governments when they meet in January 2010 in Addis Ababa for their 14th Ordinary Session, whose theme will be “Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development”.<o:p></o:p>

3RD EU- AFRICA Business Forum supports the e-Schools Initiative

Submitted by nepadadmin on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 08:38.

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10/21/2009

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The NEPAD e-Africa Commission amongst nearly 300 business leaders and government officials from Africa and Europe gathered in Nairobi, on September 28-29 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, for a 2-day event themed “Africa and Europe on the road for win-win partnerships” aimed to improve the business climate in Africa and promote investment. <o:p>The Forum was an opportunity for businesses to share their views, network and defend the interests of the sectors they operate in with the policy makers.<o:p></o:p>In light of their discussions, the ICT Working Group at the EU Africa Business Forum in which the e-Africa Commission took an active role made strong recommendations that will be presented at the next 2010 Head of States Summit which will focus on ICT.<o:p></o:p>The Forum recommended that the “AUC leads by example and establishes a directorate specifically for ICT with a mandate to strengthen the internal capacity of the AU to deliver effectively on its internal objectives and to provide strategic guidance on ICT issues across the continent to be passed at Head of States Summit in January 2010’’. To that end the Joint EU Africa Strategy (JEAS) is willing to provide guidance. <o:p></o:p>In view of the proposals made at the forum it is clear that the budget allocated to ICT in the context of the Africa EU partnership on infrastructure as well as the partnership on science, information society and space should be increase. The proposed interventions focus on innovative connectivity solutions, content development, education e-services, regulatory issues and ICT skills development. The working group recommended that key initiatives such as those that improved access to broadband connectivity and lowered market barriers for service providers should be supported.<o:p></o:p>The ICT working group issued a strong statement of support for the NEPAD e-Schools initiative by calling upon the AU, the EU, developments partners, AU member countries and private sector companies to rally together to facilitate the set up of rational implementing bodies to lead the massive roll out of e-schools in the at least 3 African countries.<o:p></o:p>Dr Katherine Getao, Project Manager at NEPAD e e-Schools initiative expressed her satisfaction with this indication of commitment by the Forum. She a pointed out that this should be seen as a “collective and participative exercise to scrutinize the lessons learned from the NEPAD e-Schools Demo project and build on them to implement effective and efficient e-schools in Africa in line with AU/ NEPAD principles”. <o:p></o:p> For more about e-Schools initiative: Visit: <a href="/">www.eafricacommission.org</a> <o:p> Or contact: <a href="mailto:kgetao@eafricacommission.org">kgetao@eafricacommission.org</a><o:p></o:p></o:p>   </o:p>