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AFD Signs Grant Agreement to Support NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme | 16 May 2008 |

Pretoria, South Africa, 29 June 2006. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has today signed a grant agreement with NEPAD e-Africa Commission, through the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), to support NEPAD's Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Broadband Infrastructure Programme.

The occasion that was graced by His Excellency Jean Felix-Paganon, the French Ambassador to South Africa, took place at the French Embassy. Other high ranking officials from the French Embassy, AFD, NEPAD and DBSA also attended the ceremony. Ms Christina Golino signed on behalf of DBSA and NEPAD, while Mr Philippe Lecrinier signed on behalf of AFD.

In the agreement, AFD will provide 850 000 Euros (ZAR 7,9 million) grant to the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to support the development of rationalised terrestrial broadband ICT network for Central, Western and Northern Africa. The project will build on the conclusions and recommendations of a meeting held in Dakar in 2005 by the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to initiate the Central, Western and Northern Africa ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme.

The support will enable the Commission to play its coordinating role whilst at the same time, dealing with policy and regulatory bottlenecks that impede investment in ICT infrastructure in the region. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission intends to facilitate the development of investor friendly policies that promote private-public partnerships (PPP) that are critical to ICT infrastructure development.

Said Dr Henry Chasia, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Executive Deputy Chairperson, "We expect that the Central, Western and Northern Africa ICT Project, will contribute to NEPAD's objective of connecting all African countries to a broadband terrestrial fibre-optic network, and hence, to the rest of the world through submarine cables. The Network will provide abundant bandwidth, easier connectivity and reduced costs. The broadband connectivity will also contribute to the much needed integration of the continent by facilitating trade, social, and cultural exchange between countries"

One of NEPAD's priority objectives is the promotion and the integration of regional ICT infrastructures all over Africa. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission was therefore set up to manage the structured development of the ICT sector on the African continent, by developing policies and broad ICT strategies and by initiating projects.

Agence Française de développement is a French Development Finance Institution under the French Official Development Aid framework . Together with DBSA, they have already jointly committed 25 millions Rands to finance regional infrastructure projects under NEPAD. This new grant will focus more precisely on regional ICT Infrastructure Broadband projects in French-speaking Africa.

For more information about AFD, visit http://www.afd.fr
For more information on NEPAD, please visit: www.nepad.org
For more information about NEPAD e-Africa Commission, visit: www.eafricacommission.org

For more information about the event, please contact:

Samuel Mikenga
Manager, Public Communications
NEPAD e-Africa Commission
Email: SMikenga@eafricacommission.org
Tel: +27 12 841 4523 (office)
Tel: +27 725 296 769 (mobile)
Fax: +27 12 841 4094
Pretoria; South Africa
Website: www.eafricacommission.org

Philippe Lecrinier
AFD Johannesburg
Tel: 27 11 540 71 02
email: lecrinierp@groupe-afd.org