NEPAD
Friday, August 24, 2007
The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, will invest in the East African Submarine Cable System, a landmark fiber-optic cable project that will connect 21 African countries to each other and the rest of the world with high-quality Internet and international communications services.
The cable will transform the telecommunications landscape in the region as it improves access for 250 million Africans and substantially reduces costs for consumers and businesses. Construction begins this month and the cable is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2009.
The cable, known as EASSy, will run 10,000 kilometers from the continent’s southern tip to the African horn, connecting South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan. Another 13 adjoining countries will also be linked to the system as terrestrial backbone networks are completed through a broader World Bank Group initiative: these include Botswana, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Consumers along the east coast of Africa typically pay between US$200 and US$300 a month for internet access. These prices are some of the world’s highest. This initiative is set to reduce the price of connectivity thus allowing more people in Africa to have global communication access.
“The EASSy cable will complete Africa’s integration into the global communications network, with significant development impact for the people of East Africa and the larger region,” said IFC CEO Lars Thunell. “Information and communications technologies transform every part of people’s daily lives, including how they do business and access global markets, receive government services, and learn.”
Source: NEPAD, Aug 24, 2007