AFCC2/RI-RCIP3 - Regional Communications Infrastructure Program - Phase 3

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The objectives of the Third Phase of Regional Communications Infrastructure Program Project for Africa are: (i) to contribute to lower prices for international capacity and to extend the geographic reach of broadband networks; and (ii) to contribute to improved Government efficiency and transparency through eGovernment applications. There are four components to the project, the first component being enabling environment, including monitoring and evaluation capacity building. This component aims to promote further regional market integration and sector liberalization. This will include the following subcomponents focused on technical assistance, capacity-building, and training to: (a) promote further sector liberalization and legal and regulatory reforms in order to maximize the benefits of the regional infrastructure (regulatory tools to guarantee open access to national and international infrastructure, cost-modeling, tariff regulation, interconnection, essential facility regulation, competition policy and regulation, spectrum, and other scarce resource management); and (b) support the implementation of regulatory reforms. The second component is the connectivity. This component aims to support the deployment of regional connectivity. This will include the following subcomponents: (i) support for the financing of a submarine cable landing station or virtual landing station' (for landlocked countries), as well as support for the creation of a national Internet Exchange Point (IXP), run by an association of operators or a private third party venture, with regional connections to other IXP; and (ii) support to finance purchase of capacity on the submarine cables. The third component is the transparency - eGovernment applications. This component will support selected major government services which will be candidates for transition to eGovernment through the use of technology, business process re-engineering to streamline processes, and change management to ensure acceptance of the new methods of working. Finally, the fourth component is the project management.