Delayed ratification of Kigali protocol to affect broadband infrastructure

CONCERN has been raised over the reluctance by African countries to endorse the Kigali Protocol, a policy and regulatory framework for the information and communication technology sector.
Only twelve countries, including Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Malawi, have ratified the Protocol.
Speaking in South Africa at the just-ended New partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)’s Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) meeting, e-Africa Commission policy and regulatory advisor Edmund Katiti, raised concern at the number of countries that were yet to endorse the Kigali Protocol.
This delay has put a damper on the Broadband Infrastructure Network, an initiative that aims to connect East African countries to a communications network from Rwanda to South Africa.
Katiti urged, “We want to make sure that all countries in Africa have access to broadband connectivity and to ensure that this connectivity is affordable and is accessed by as many people as possible.”
The Kigali Protocol, which paved the way for the project, came into effect in February last year.