Connect Africa
Through
An integrated continental Information Network
Presented For:
IG Forum
Connect Africa Summit CIIN
GAID
Kigali, Rwanda Africa
10/27/2007
by:
Sophia Bekele
CBS International, Inc

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A Common Vision
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.
Japanese Proverb
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Complementary Initiatives
AISI
WSIS
GAID
NEPAD
Abuja Treaty
.Africa
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A Personal Experience
- Connectivity Infrastructure as a ‘must have’
- Widening gap of the digital divide for Africa
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The Black Swan
The Platonic fold - the explosive boundary where the Platonic
mindset enters in contact with messy reality, where the gap
between what you know and what you think you know becomes
dangerously wide.

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Entrepreneurship
=
Opportunity
=
Accelerated
Development
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Key to Accelerated
Development
- Common Vision
- Breeding of Black Swans
- Entrepreneurship
- Continental Integration of our
economies - RECs
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Broadband connectivity
Broadband Access is key to a shared vision,
having basic water and power is a basic human
dignity and Internet access should be one.
According to recent World Bank report, over 90% of
the population of Sub-Saharan Africa either have no
access to backbone networks or are dependent on
low-capacity satellite or microwave networks.

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Broadband connectivity
 As a key enabler of the four priority areas of the Global Alliance, will
support African efforts to accelerate the roll-out of communication
infrastructure and increase broadband access across Africa.
 ICT infrastructure is essential for African countries to achieve regional
integration and to enable poor people to participate in markets and help
reduce poverty.
 Economic growth in Africa will depend upon widespread access to ICT
services which in turn provide access to local, national, regional and
global markets.
 Therefore, national and regional backbones, cross-border links, and rural
connectivity need to be vastly expanded, in parallel with the deployment
of applications to take advantage of connectivity for productive use.
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CIIN-A New Initiative
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 The Project Initiative
 Mission
 Vision
 Objective
 Complimentary Initiatives
 Strategic use of the Network
 Technologies
 Stakeholders
 Action Plan
 Critical Success factor
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Project Initiative
 A new strategic networking initiative that is central to the
achievement of an African Information Society on the basis of
Regional Cooperation and Integration.
 Will contribute to transforming the spirit and vision of WSIS into
action and promoting the use of ICT for the achievement of the
internationally agreed development goals, including the
Millennium Development Goals.
 Provides an inclusive, multi-stakeholder global forum and
platform for cross-sectoral policy dialogue and advocacy and
by catalyzing multi-stakeholder action oriented partnerships
encouraged under the GAID umbrella.
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Project Initiative
 Focuses on the development of Information and Knowledge Networks
and Resources for critical sectors I.e. agriculture /natural resources
transport & communication, Public health, education, business &
commerce
 Requires large scale deployment /implementation of ICT infrastructures
 Needs governmental policy & Strategy formulation, regulatory frameworks
 Requires significant financial Investment, economic de-regulation &
open competitive business environments to ensure full Private Sector
participation
 In line with the NEPAD, and could serve a basis for African Integration
and Objectives of the African Economic Community /African Union
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Mission
Inter-link
the Regional Economic Communities
(RECs) to build on a sustained basis
the capacity required for
effective knowledge sharing and
communication
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Common Vision
To establish a knowledge network to
enhance regional knowledge &
expertise of the Regional Economic
Communities (RECs)
to achieve economies of scale via
socio- economic investment
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Common Objective
To strengthen the knowledge sharing of the
Regional Economic Communities via
increased indigenous:
 knowledge networking
 Content development
 Capacity building
 Connectivity to the Internet
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Strategic Use of the
Knowledge Network
 Connectivity of all the RECs to promote networking
activities via Internet / Intranet /Extranet
 Facilitate cross-border knowledge sharing and
research partnerships with key knowledge end-users.
 Development of integrated databases and local
content to support decision making and to link
the public, private sector, and civic society to the
RECs
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Strategic Use of the
Knowledge Network
 Reduce cost of communication and increase
personal communication
 Enhance regional identity and global presence
 Link and participate with other existing
professional knowledge networks and the
regular programs of the UNECA
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Strategic Use of the
Knowledge Network
 Generate demand-driven research relevant to
practical policy issues
 Increase competitiveness and productivity
 Upgrade of equipment and training in the use
of new information and communication
technologies
 Development of an effective communication
strategy to make known the work of RECs
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Specific Project Experience
African Union General Secretariat (AU) - Strategic
Info System Network Integrated Infrastructure
The Requirement:
 Support Early Warning System for conflict management in
Africa
 Possibility of scaling the project by linking to Regional
offices of AU, sub-regional organizations and other
international organizations.
 Can be regarded as pilot scale project for a continent-wide
network
The Solution:
 UNDP/UNOPS Sponsored Capacity Building Project
 Local Company to provide the required technology supply, systems
integration services, project implementation and overall delivery.
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Data/Information Flow for the RECs
UMA
IGAD
ECOWAS
ECCA
COMESA
SADC
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Technologies/Applications
Internet /Intranet/Extranet
Web Portals Web casting Web Content Development
Integrated Databases Multimedia Capabilities
Sectoral Applications:
• E-government
• Micro Finance
• E- Education
• E-Health/Telemedicine
• E-Commerce
• Academic Research (S&T)
Broadband, VOIP, WI-FI, Mesh Network, IP Phone
Data/Video Streaming/Data Casting via Satellite
Knowledge Search Engines (OLAP cubes)
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You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But
I dream things that never were; and I
say, \"Why not?\"
George Bernard Shaw
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PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS
Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
Policy Makers
Institutes of Higher learning
Civil Society
Global Private Sector
AU, ECA, ADB, World Bank, GKP, GAID, ITU
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Action Plan
Needs Analysis
Existing regional Solutions
Civil Society
Regional Contacts
Brain storming
Vision /Mission papers
Plan of Implementation:
 Business Plan
 Use of Network
 Technology: Broadband, Wi-fi, VOIP, Mesh Networks
 Resources
 Training/Capacity Building
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Critical Success Factor
Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge
Early Commitment of Stakeholders
Participation of leading Content Dev Group
Selection of Tested Technologies/Applications
Strong Local Presence/Expertise
Team Work among stakeholders
Training (Capacity Building)
Support - Post Implementation
Funding
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Current Status
 Presented to:
• Ambassador, African Union Mission, Washington DC
• Secretary General, International Telecommunication
Union (ITU)
• Connect Africa Summit, Kigali, Rwanda
• UNECA Executive Secretary, Addis Ababa
• UNECA High Level Group – DISD, Addis Ababa
• African Union Cabinet, Addis Ababa Ethiopia
• Africa Telecom Summit, Mozambique
• UN GA New York, Secretary General of UN, New York
• President Wade ,Senegal, Chairman of ICT, NEPAD
• Directors of four REC Regions
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Responses: Welcome Initiative!

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Conclusion
Ladies & Gentlemen
Our Policy Makers
Our Ambassadors
Our Development Partners
The African Civil Society
Private Sector
Let us all call for a
‘ICT Marshall Plan’
For Socio–Economic Transformation of Africa and its digital inclusion
in the global knowledge society
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A Wired Africa
I Thank you for listening!
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