The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), has signed a convention with the African Development Bank (ADB) for a 24-billion loan for the provision of 916km of optical fiber. The agreement was signed, October 29, 2015, at the Hilton Hotel in Yaounde between Racine Kane, resident representative of the Africa Development Bank in Cameroon, and Louis Paul Motaze, Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development.
By Anu Nkeze Paul
According to the terms of the agreement, the project involves the installation and commissioning of 916km of optic fibre cables, active equipment and power and cooling systems in five localities, namely; Kumba-Mamfe: 187km, Mamfe-Ekok: 82km, Bertoua-Batouri-Kentzou: 206km, Sangmelima-Djoum-Mintoum-Ntam: 331km and Bamenda-Ndop-Kumbo: 110km. These sections constitute part of the critical links of the national optical fibre backbone neighboring Central Africa, Congo and Nigeria which Cameroon intends to cover with a view to rapidly extend it network to reach 20,000km of optical fibre by 2035. Other regions will follow after feasibility studies.
It is estimated that this will drastically cut the cost of international connectivity and would used for the modernization of the banking and postal sectors through the introduction of e-banking and the adoption of hybrid mail by CAMPOST, Minister Motaze explained.
For his part, Racine Kane stressed that the overall objective of the project is to reduce the high cost of telecommunications and information and communication technologies in the sub-region, create jobs and expand the production of goods and services in helping to reduce poverty.
The ceremony was attended by, amongst others, the Minister of Post and Telecommunication Minette Libom Li Likeng, senior officials of the Africa Development Bank and Directors in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development.
