TA for the Feasibility Study on the terrestrial Segment of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network for West, Central and North Africa

The project is part of the achievement of the Umojanet Project which results, with the Uhurunet Project, from the NEPAD conceptual approach of a seamless ICT broadband infrastructure network for the African continent. Umojanet (the "net" of Togetherness) is the terrestrial mesh network. Uhurunet (the "net" of Freedom) is the submarine ring network. Umojanet and Uhurunet are to be interconnected to each other and to the international network. Implementation of Umojanet is to develop, reinforce, structure and operate regional broadband infrastructures, mainly through the laying of new buried or aerial cross-border fibre optic cables or through the purchase/lease of capacity on existing ones. The Umojanet Project includes two phases. The first phase looked at the development of the terrestrial broadband network in Southern & Eastern Africa. Based on detailed feasibility studies realized in 2009, investors are now finalising the fundraising process to start the rollout of Umojanet in Eastern and Southern Africa and complete it by end 2012.

The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) identified the strong need of undertaking a feasibility study in order to assess the technical, economic and commercial feasibility of the planned project in the Western, Central and Northern Africa regions, and form the basis for requesting participation by investors and other financiers in the financing of the project.  

The TA Grant from the Trust Fund will be used to fund a study which will include a detailed technical and commercial feasibility assessment, a complete network design and a business plan for each region (West, Central and North Africa). It will in particular identify existing broadband optical fibre infrastructure in the 29 countries of the scope and the gaps along the proposed routes. It will also undertake a detailed study of traffic flow in the network and estimate the cost of establishing the project infrastructure, comprising the construction of new cable infrastructure, leasing capacity on existing fibre, equipping nodal points in each county, and others.  The management of the resulting network is furthermore included in the scope of the technical assistance.