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<DIV>---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------<BR>Subject: Government Ministers Approve $ 2bn Submarine Cable to Connect Africa<BR>From: "Samuel Mikenga" <<A href="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org" ymailto="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org">SMikenga@eafricacommission.org</A>><BR>Date: Thu, October 18, 2007 8:03 am<BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Government Ministers Approve $ 2bn Submarine Cable to Connect Africa<BR><BR>Government Ministers responsible for Information and Communication<BR>Technologies (ICTs) from eastern and southern African countries endorsed a<BR>$ 2 bn submarine cable project to connect Africa, and called for its<BR>speedy implementation. This was revealed at a press conference held, 15<BR>October 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa.<BR><BR>With a capacity of 3.84 Terrabits/sec, the 50,000 km cable is
designed to<BR>provide telecommunications connectivity to Africa and connect the<BR>continent to the Americas, India, and Europe. It is expected that<BR>completion of this project will greatly contribute to reduction of<BR>telecommunications costs that have been a hindrance to doing business in<BR>Africa.<BR><BR>“Recognising the urgent need to have ICT broadband infrastructure to<BR>support high-quality, high-speed and reliable electronic communications in<BR>Africa and connecting to the rest of the world at affordable prices thus<BR>accelerated regional and continental integration; we welcome this<BR>initiative and recommit ourselves to ensuring a speedy implementation of<BR>this important project”, a statement read by the Ugandan Minister for ICT,<BR>Dr Ham Mukasa Mulira, who chaired the Ministers’ meeting, read in part.<BR><BR>The Ministers named the submarine segment of the NEPAD network UHURUNET;<BR>its terrestrial segment, UMOJANET;
and recommended the Holding Company of<BR>the Submarine cable, BAHARICOM. Under the arrangement, NEPAD Special<BR>Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be the largest single shareholder.<BR><BR>“We have accordingly directed The NEPAD e-Africa Commission to present on<BR>our behalf the proposed submarine cable system to the meeting of African<BR>Ministers responsible for Information and Communication Technologies<BR>(ICTs) and/or Telecommunications, and to the Heads of State and Government<BR>Summit”, Dr Mulira added.<BR><BR>The Government of Rwanda has invited African Ministers to the Connect<BR>Africa Summit to be held in Kigali on 29-30th October 2007, under the<BR>Patronage of President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda and President<BR>Agyekum Kufour, the President of Ghana and current Chairperson of the<BR>African Union, and other invited Heads of State.<BR><BR>African Owned Cable<BR><BR>South African Minister for communications, Dr Ivy
Matsepe-Casaburri said<BR>the experiences in South Africa and Mauritius show that private sector-led<BR>undersea cable projects, where the ‘private clubs’ decide the cost of<BR>telecommunications, have never been beneficial to countries in urgent need<BR>of affordable broadband connectivity. She said that the NEPAD cable<BR>would be majority African owned and advised that the best initiatives for<BR>Africa were those that were not only geared towards making profits but<BR>also putting Africa’s development concerns under consideration.<BR><BR>Many Benefits<BR><BR>The collaboration on the construction of a highly capacity submarine cable<BR>system initiative to connect Africa to the rest of the world is<BR>coordinated by the NEPAD e-African Commission.<BR><BR>Says Dr Henry Chasia, the Executive Deputy Chairperson of NEPAD e-Africa<BR>Commission, “This is a joint collaboration to leverage different submarine<BR>cable initiatives for the
development of a high capacity African submarine<BR>cable as part of the accelerated implementation of the Kigali protocol”<BR><BR>“This submarine cable will have landing points provisions in all coastal<BR>and Island countries, provide increased capacity to all destinations, and<BR>participants will benefit from economies of scale ”, added Dr Chasia.<BR><BR>To enable all African countries enjoy the benefits of UHURUNET and<BR>UMOJANET, the Ministers directed the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to work<BR>with the African Union Commission to develop the modalities to enable any<BR>African country that may wish to access to the Kigali Protocol, do so.<BR><BR>It is expected that the cable will be completed before the FIFA 2010 World<BR>Cup scheduled to take place in South Africa.<BR><BR>Ends<BR><BR>Notes for Editors<BR><BR>1. UHURU is a Kiswahili word meaning ‘freedom’. The submarine segment of<BR>the NEPAD network was named UHURUNET
in recognition of the fiftieth<BR>anniversary of the beginning of Sub-Sahara African independence from<BR>colonial rule and the importance of the cable for economic freedom in<BR>Africa.<BR>2. UMOJA is a kiswahili word meaning ‘togetherness’. The Ministers<BR>designated the terrestrial segment of the NEPAD network as UMOJANET in<BR>recognition of the spirit of unity in action among, and united action by<BR>all the stakeholders of the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa<BR>involved in the project.<BR>3. BAHARI is a Kiswahili word that means ‘sea’. The Ministers<BR>recommended that the holding company of the submarine cable be named<BR>BAHARICOM because it was operating an under-sea cable.<BR>4. About the Protocol<BR>The Protocol on the Policy and Regulatory framework for NEPAD ICT<BR>Broadband Infrastructure Network is based on the Constitutive Act of the<BR>African Union. Its
main objective is to facilitate and commit the Parties<BR>to the construction and operation of the NEPAD ICT Broadband<BR>Infrastructure Network on ‘Open Access’ principles of operation, which<BR>ensure a level playing field and equal access to the infrastructure.<BR><BR>Hosted by the Rwandan Government and African Union (AU), the protocol<BR>signing ceremony of ICT Ministers from Eastern and Southern African<BR>countries participating in the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network,<BR>including the Submarine Cable Segment, took place in Kigali, Rwanda on<BR>28-29 August 2006. The ceremony was presided over by the Rwandan<BR>President HE Paul Kagame.<BR><BR>The protocol provides for the formation of an Inter-Governmental Assembly<BR>(IGA), which is responsible for ensuring the speedy implementation of the<BR>NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network. Currently, the signatory<BR>countries are in the process of ratifying the Kigali protocol
to make it<BR>operational.<BR><BR>Project Run under NEPAD Principles<BR>The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is working to ensure the realization of the<BR>priority ICT objective for Africa: all African countries getting<BR>connected to one another by broadband fibre optic cable systems that will<BR>in turn link them to the rest of the world through existing or planned<BR>sub-marine cable systems.<BR><BR>Since its adoption by Heads of States and Government Implementation<BR>Committee (HSGIC) in November 2004 as a NEPAD flagship Project, the ICT<BR>Broadband Infrastructure Project, is being run under the auspices, context<BR>and principles of NEPAD, which emphasize collaboration among African<BR>countries, and specifically African ownership and leadership.<BR><BR>For more information, please contact:<BR>Samuel Mikenga<BR>Manager, Public Communications<BR>NEPAD e-Africa Commission<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org"
ymailto="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org">SMikenga@eafricacommission.org</A><BR>Tel: +27 12 841 4523 (office); Tel: +27 725 296 769 (mobile)<BR>Fax: +27 12 841 4094<BR><BR>CSIR Building 43B<BR>Meiring Naude Road<BR>Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA<BR>Website: www.eafricacommission.org<BR><BR><BR>Samuel Mikenga<BR>Manager, Public Communications<BR>NEPAD e-Africa Commission<BR>Email: <A href="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org" ymailto="mailto:SMikenga@eafricacommission.org">SMikenga@eafricacommission.org</A><BR>Email: <A href="mailto:s.mikenga@paris.com" ymailto="mailto:s.mikenga@paris.com">s.mikenga@paris.com</A><BR>Tel: +27 12 841 4523 (office)<BR>Tel: +27 725 296 769 (mobile)<BR>Fax: +27 12 841 4094<BR><BR>CSIR Building 43B<BR>Meiring Naude Road<BR>Pretoria, SOUTH AFRICA<BR>Website: www.eafricacommission.org<BR><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Fibre-for-africa mailing list<BR><A
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