[kictanet] [Fwd: [Fibre-for-africa] Operators ignore NEPAD, sign EASSy construction deal]

[alice]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[Fibre-for-africa] Operators ignore NEPAD, sign EASSy 
construction deal
Date: 	Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:28:01 +0300
From: 	Wairagala Wakabi <wakabi at cipesa.org>
Reply-To: 	APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants 
<fibre-for-africa at lists.apc.org>
To: 	APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants 
<fibre-for-africa at lists.apc.org>
References: 	<mailman.0.1172828896.9025.fibre-for-africa at lists.apc.org> 
<45EBFF90.7090301 at cipesa.org> <45EC0CF1.1050706 at cipesa.org>



Major development on EASSy, listers. The companies that are signatories 
to the EASSy memorandum of understanding (MOU) have signed a deal with 
Alcatel-Lucent for construction of the cable. NEPAD has apparently been 
ignored in the exercise. A release from the group says 22 regional 
entities and a few international ones are party to the undertaking (just 
over a week ago they told Fibre-for Africa it was over 29 entities) so 
it is not clear who is and who is out. Cost of construction was at the 
weekend pegged at US$240 m by the MoU parties, down from the $300 m 
NEPAD has been mentioning.

This latest development raises questions of whether NEPAD will go ahead 
with its NBIN, of which EASSy is the principal component, or will engage 
the MoU signatories with a view to reconciling and placing ‘their’ EASSy 
under the auspices of the NEPAD eAfrica Commission. And, will the EASSy 
holding company be headquartered in Rwanda (as a meeting called by NEPAD 
last June decided) or will it stay in Kenya, where it has been 
coordinated since inception in 2002? Worth of note is that at the 
weekend, Mr John Shira who has helped coordinate the project for quite a 
while, but whose voice had become fainter since NEPAD attempted to take 
the driver’s seat, was among those speaking on behalf of the MoU parties 
at the weekend.

And then, how will the signing of the cable affect other in-the-pipeline 
plans to build alternative cables along Africa’s east coast? Telkom 
Kenya officials were among those who spoke, in a press release 
Alcatel-Lucent issued: "This project represents a milestone in the 
development of the African communication infrastructure, where there is 
a strong need for optical connectivity" Sammy Kirui, Chairman of the 
EASSy Project Management Committee and Managing Director of Telkom 
Kenya. "Alcatel-Lucent is recognized as one of the key turnkey suppliers 
in the submarine cable market and was selected through a competitive 
tendering process".
See: http://www.companynewsgroup.com/communique.asp?co_id=116613

The NEPAD eAfrica Commission is planning a meeting in “April/May” to 
flesh out the issue of shareholders – yet here they are now already 
acting as a unit, even engaging contractors… Telkom SA said in a 
statement that the project would open new opportunities for it in 
Africa, an indication that the telcos are firmly behind the deal with 
Alcatel-Lucent.

Wakabi


==============
Wairagala Wakabi
Research Associate
CIPESA
Plot 22 Bukoto Street, Kamwokya
P.O Box 26970 Kampala, Uganda
Tel. +256 41 531899
Cell: +256 772 406 241
Email: wakabi at cipesa.org
www.cipesa.org


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