Broadband 'on course' in Africa
23/02/2007 14:08  - (SA)  

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African countries are on course to build the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Broadband Network.

Government agency BUA news reports that Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri made this assurance on Tuesday, while briefing the Portfolio Committee on Communications about departmental projects she had committed to during her budget vote speech last year.

Currently, 12 out of 23 African countries have signed the Nepad ICT Broadband infrastructure protocol, which commits them to building the network.

The South African Parliament will have ratified the protocol by the middle of this year. The signing of the protocol provides for the project's speedy implementation and involves the construction of a 9 900 kilometre Eastern African Sub-Marine System (EASSy) cable from Mtunzini village in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, to Sudan.

This network will have all participatory countries linked up before being linked to the rest of the world, thereby integrating Africa's communication by synchronising ICT infrastructure initiatives.

It is expected that once in operation, the initiative will see communication costs in the continent decreasing.

Many countries still to sign

The inaugural signing of the protocol was held in Kigali, Rwanda in August last year, where seven countries including South Africa signed.

This was followed by Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Countries that are yet to sign are Angola, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan and Swaziland.

The minister also highlighted the significance of Sentech, government's strategic asset in the provision of access to wireless broadband connectivity, as essential for service delivery.

"It is clear from our perspective as government that Sentech is indeed a strategic national asset as indicated by the decisions of the last two Cabinet Makgotla," she said.

She also expressed confidence in the ability of Sentech to deliver on its mandate, particularly on its guarantees to deliver a successful 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Regarding the postal sector, Dr Matsepe-Casaburri said her department was looking at the role the Post Office could play in the roll out of government services to "dynamise economically marginalised" areas in an effort to reduce poverty. - BuaNews

- News24

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