[kictanet] Big monies committed to connect Africa

Wed Oct 31 16:32:05 EAT 2007

USD 55 billion committed to connect Africa

Industry drives ICT investment at Connect 
Africa Summit

Kigali, Rwanda, 31 October 2007 — 
The Connect Africa Summit closed 
yesterday with investment commitments amounting to over USD 55 billion, with the 
ICT industry taking the lead.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda set the tone at the outset, saying, 
"Investment and trade — as opposed to aid and charity — must drive the 
transformation of our economies." He called for a dynamic ICT sector to connect 
Africa to the global information superhighway. "In order to realize this 
much-needed economic revolution, we have to forge productive relationships 
between government and business," said Mr Kagame.

The Connect Africa Summit decided to bring forward ICT connectivity 
goals to 2012 to enable the achievement of the broader 
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Commitments were made to interconnect all African capitals and major cities 
with ICT broadband infrastructure and strengthen connectivity to the rest of the 
world by 2012. By 2015, broadband and ICT services will be extended to all 
African villages. The Summit also sets out to meet the World Summit on the 
Information Society goals for capacity building, establishing an enabling 
environment for investment, and e-government services.

The role of governments in setting a level playing field for industry to 
compete was highlighted. It was also decided to ensure harmonization of the 
regulatory framework to stimulate cross-border integration in large-scale 
projects. Capacity building was identified as one key area for cooperation among 
all stakeholders. 

Africa opens doors to ICT

Africa’s mobile market has been the fastest-growing of any region over the 
last five years, and has grown twice as fast as the global market. Mobile phones 
overtook fixed lines in 2001 and now outnumber fixed telephone lines by nearly 
seven to one, with nearly 193 million mobile cellular subscribers in 2006. This 
figure is projected to grow to more than 270 million by the end of this year.

Stepping in to consolidate the mobile revolution in Africa, mobile operators 
of the GSM Association announced USD 50 billion in new investment over the next 
5 years to expand and upgrade networks across the continent by 2012. This would 
provide mobile coverage to more than 90 per cent of the population.

Success in mobile penetration is now set to be emulated in broadband 
connectivity in Africa, with new investment foreseen for ICT infrastructure.

"Africa is open for business," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. "We 
are looking for investment through win-win partnerships in a viable marketplace 
by an expanding ICT industry." He added that wealth creation is key to achieving 
the MDGs. "This new investment in ICT infrastructure will lead to new jobs and 
overall economic growth," said Dr Touré.

The representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr Sha Zukang, 
Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 
said that innovative ways were needed to extend the reach of ICT to the most 
remote corners of the continent. "I am confident that with the entrepreneurial 
spirit of the African private sector working with their international partners, 
the support of the international community and the commitment from governments, 
universal connectivity in Africa is no longer a utopian dream."

"This is not a technology problem — the technology is waiting to be 
deployed," said Mr Craig Barrett, who serves both as Chairman of Intel 
Corporation and the United Nations’ Global Alliance for Information and 
Communication Technologies and Development. "We now need the government 
priorities, decisions, and policies to drive the implementation of a pan-African 
infrastructure." 

International commitments for ICT

The European Commission announced support for trans-African networks that 
facilitate interconnectivity. An EU Trust Fund for Africa of almost 100 million 
Euros in grants and some 260 Million Euros for loans has been established along 
with the European Investment Bank and ten EU member states for the period 
2007-2008. The fund, which will be substantially replenished at the end of 2008, 
will finance cross-border projects or national projects with a regional and 
continental impact that would include ICT. The Commission also announced a 
contribution of Euro 6 Million to support ITU’s regulatory reform initiatives in 
Africa.

The World Bank Group announced that it expects to double its commitment to 
ICT in Africa to USD 2 billion by 2012 from its current investment programme of 
USD 1 billion over the last five years. The financing will continue to promote 
private sector participation.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has scaled up its investments in 
infrastructure, and expects to invest 60% of its concessional resources on 
infrastructure, including ICT, in the next three years. AfDB has committed close 
to USD 65 million to two key regional infrastructure projects: RASCOM and EASSy.

"The development banks and other financing partners have a responsibility to 
step in where gaps are holding back development in the region," said Dr Donald 
Kaberuka, President of AfDB.

Over one thousand participants, including six Heads of State, took part in the
Connect Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, from 29 to 30 October 2007.

Tel. 254 720 318 925 
blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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