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ECOWAS STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP ON NEPAD ICT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK | 9 April 2010 |

Introduction 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. 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.

Presentations Presentations were made by a number of participants on § NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network Programme§ Overview of the Protocol on regulatory and policy framework for the NEPAD network§ Report on the results of the study on the inventory of ICT infrastructure in West, Central and North Africa§ Overview of the Status of ICT broadband infrastructure in ECOWAS region§ Status of UHURUNET

Discussion Following discussion of the various pertinent issues, the workshop agreed as follows: 1. Universal Access Funds should be utilised for ICT projects beyond providing rural access. 2. The workshop expects that the implementation of new submarine cables will lead to reduced costs of communication. 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.4. There is a need for West, Central, and North Africa to adopt the Kigali Protocol with appropriate amendments. 5. There is a need to discourage protectionist tendencies in favour of establishing a competitive platform for infrastructure development. 6. There is a need to invest on the development of contents alongside with the development of infrastructure projects. 7. African countries should provide seed money for infrastructure projects for which they seek large scale funding. 8. The workshop noted the significance of consultation of all stakeholders on the development of ICT infrastructure. 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.

On the way forward the workshop agreed that: 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. 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. 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. 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. In conclusion, the workshop expressed appreciation to ECOWAS and the Government of Nigeria in providing resources to host the workshop. Abuja, Nigeria, 16 March 2010

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