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Umojanet Terrestrial Network Implementation: NEPAD signs Grant Facility Agreement with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) | 21 February 2012 |

Midrand, South Africa, 3 February 2012; The NEPAD Agency has signed a Grant Facility Agreement (GFA) with the French Development  Agency (AFD), a French public institution. The AFD, a specialized development financial institution, funds sustainable development projects carried by government local authorities, public companies, and the private and associative sectors on five continents-with primacy given to Africa.

This grant of One million three hundred and fifty thousand Euros (EUR 1, 350, 000, 00) is made available to NEPAD Agency by the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund (EU-ITF) a European donor coordinated fund, through the AFD, towards the finalization of feasibility studies and business plans of the terrestrial segment of the AU/ NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network in West, Central and North Africa.

This project is part of Umojanet, a terrestrial network that will link African countries to their neighbors and will connect to submarine cables to realize the dream of the cross-border continental AU/NEPAD ICT broadband Infrastructure Network. This grant completes the initial funds of 850 000 Euros granted by the AFD to the then NEPAD Secretary to support the initiative.

The signing ceremony took place on Thursday the 2nd of February 2012, at the NEPAD Agency offices, Midrand, in South Africa. The GFA was signed by Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NEPAD Agency and Mr. Yves Boudot, Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Department of AFD.

"This is an opportune moment for us both, AFD and NEPAD, to focus on ICT as a crucial element in developing infrastructure in Africa and welcome this support to NPCA as the development Agency of the African Union” said Dr. Mayaki at the signing of the GFA.

Mr. Yves Boudot on his side expressed his satisfaction to proceed with the signature and noted that “as the case with AFD support to NEPAD ICT continental infrastructure developments, AFD is ready to discuss and widen the scope of collaboration to address other continental infrastructure development challenges”