4th Meeting of the ECOWAS Ministerial Steering Committee for the Amilcar Cabral submarine telecom cable project

On Friday 14 June 2024, Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau, hosted the 4th Meeting of the Ministers of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)/Digital Economy and those of Finance and/or Planning of the ECOWAS Member States involved in the Amilcar Cabral submarine telecoms cable development project.  This meeting of Ministers, which took place after the Experts’ meeting held on 12 and 13 June 2024, provided an opportunity to assess the progress made in terms of mobilising financial resources and setting up Special Purpose Companies (SPCs) to implement the project.

The Amilcar Cabral submarine telecoms cable development project involves 6 ECOWAS countries: Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Its aim is to establish a fibre-optic submarine cable link that will provide redundant international connectivity for these countries, which currently have only one landing station, and to increase the international bandwidth available to Internet users in the countries concerned. It will improve the quality, reliability and accessibility of international telecommunications services, bringing tangible socio-economic benefits to the target countries.

The fourth ministerial meeting was officially launched by H.E. Mr. Jose Carlos ESTEVES, Guinea Bissau’s Minister of Transport, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, and the ECOWAS Commissioner responsible for Infrastructure, Energy and Transport, Mr. Sédiko DOUKA. Also in attendance were the Ministers in charge of ICT/Digital Economy, those in charge of Finance and/or Planning and Experts from Member States and the ECOWAS Commission, as well as technical and financial partners (ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, World Bank).

During the meeting, the Ministers adopted the principle of starting the project with the two countries that have already mobilised the necessary resources, even if it means finding a formula or framework for reimbursement by the other four countries under an agreement to be prepared by ECOWAS and signed by all the parties. Deadlines have been set for the creation of Special Purpose Companies (SPCs) in each country, as well as the completion of the detailed implementation study to be carried out by Guinea and The Gambia. The next ministerial meeting will be held in Liberia in October 2024 to take stock of the decisions taken. In closing, the Ministers thanked the Government and People of Guinea-Bissau for the warm welcome, hospitality and all the facilities offered to ensure the success of the Ministerial Steering Committee meeting.