Strengthening partnerships to improve telecommunications in Africa

17 June 2008

Commonwealth Connects project steps up capacity for African rural connectivity initiative

A Commonwealth Connects project to enhance telephone and internet connectivity for rural communities in the 18 Commonwealth African countries will be given a boost to strengthen partnerships between the public and private sectors and local communities to speed up the development of telecommunications infrastructure.

The Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI) was first launched in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2007 with the aim of facilitating access to information and communication technology (ICT) to promote knowledge, commerce and socio-economic development.

The first phase was a six-month period involving country studies on the existing level of connectivity in the 18 Commonwealth African states and their development needs, as well as the assessment of best practices in Canada, Australia, India, Malaysia, Finland and the United States. This included areas such as innovation and successful solutions to rural connectivity. Research was also undertaken on the ICT rural connectivity projects undertaken by donor agencies and development partners, and similar initiatives by equipment manufacturers and investors. These studies helped to identify opportunities for ICT investment.

This £1.1 million COMARCI project was given seed funding of £50,000 by the Government of Malta through the Commonwealth Connects programme which is designed to bridge the digital divide among member states and within communities.

The second phase of COMARCI will be launched at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, on 19 June 2008, with the building of stronger public-private sector partnerships to fast-track this programme to link up Africa through telecommunications.

COMARCI is managed by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) in collaboration with its partners – the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, Commonwealth Network for Information Technology and the International Telecommunication Union.

CTO’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah said: “Connecting the majority of Africans to the information super highway is necessary if African countries are to benefit from the global knowledge revolution.”

Dr Spio-Garbrah expressed hope that the second phase of the COMARCI project will bring together more ICT players through public-private partnerships that also involve local groups and communities in structuring, ownership and sustainable management of assets for the success of this initiative.

Anthony Ming, Head of the Commonwealth Connects Secretariat, said the potential for advancement in telecommunications in Africa is tremendous, particularly for mobile networks. He added that COMARCI Phase I has provided a wealth of ICT data and identified connectivity gaps that will be the basis for development for Phase II projects.

Mr Ming, who is also the Informatics Adviser in the Governance and Institutional Development Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, stated: “Much of rural Africa remains unconnected, with more than 60 per cent of the population lacking access to phones and with that, the lack of access to the internet. The telecommunications market in Africa is largely untapped. This opens up great potential for growth that will benefit consumers, service providers and investors when rural communities are networked so that they are connected within and beyond their villages and towns.”