Laide Akinboade
8 October 2008
Abuja — Stakeholders in Information Communication Technology (ICT), sector have condemned the low number of fibre optic link within the African region, which according to them has reduced considerably broadband access in the region.
The Executive Secretary of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, stated this at the weekend while briefing journalists on a pre CTO2008 Commonwealth ICT summit. He noted that only the various countries in Africa can increase access to broadband in their various domain through the intervention of governments.
According to him: "Broadband access has not been high due to a number of factors, one of which is inadequate number of fibre optic connecting our various countries and cities, within Africa.
It is a very expensive venture, that would be very difficult to accomplish without government intervention, because it is only very few service providers that are able to provide adequate broadband infrastructure. But there has been some misunderstanding over the years about who was responsible for such infrastructure and whether the service providers by themselves alone could build such infrastructures has made Africa to lag behind.
Dr. Garbrah, continued, "Unfortunately, many countries have not invested because the World Bank in 1990s give the impression that the private sector should do all the funding of infrastructure provisioning for ICT.
It was after ten years when that philosophy did not work that it come to their attention that, yes the private sector would go to where they get the highest returns on investment in shortest possible time which is the mobile sector but they are not likely to go into areas like internet and broadband access which requires heavier amount of investment with a longer payback time. That is why it is very important for government to get involved."
He stressed, "Like the technical adviser appointed to the East African Commission said, the only way the 22 Eastern and Southern countries in Africa can have a common cables that will link them together is for all the government to come together and invest in the project.
But in West Africa we have had the West Africa Cable Project, Sat-3 which unfortunately has not gone beyond South Africa to link the East African segment and has been the main conduit between West Africa and Europe but even the Sat-3 cable has not penetrated the innermost part of our countries like the railways lines and road networks does. I think many Africa countries have built their national fibre project, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and others but we need a lot more transactional collaborative mechanism."
Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, said the main objective of the CTO is to bring private sector, public sector and civil society together and also to bridge the digital divide and achieve social and economic development especially in ICT.
He added that President Umar Musa Yar'Adua has indicated his interest to deliver an address and declare the conference open. Other speakers expected at the conference include, Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, President Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Dr. Mohammed Chambas, Chief executive Officer (CEO), Visafone, Mr. Jim Ovia, CEO, MTN Nigeria, Mr Ahmad Forroukh, CEO, Nigerian communication Commission, Engr. Enest Ndukwe.
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