As Prepared
Good afternoon, and welcome to our distinguished guests from the African diplomatic corps. Thank you, Chairman Payne, for your leadership and ongoing commitment to Africa.
It is a pleasure to join all of you in the U.S. Capitol today to discuss advances in telecommunications and Internet development in sub-Saharan Africa. On behalf of the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, I would like to thank the United States Trade and Development Agency for coordinating this event.
We meet at a pivotal moment for the African telecommunications sector. Congressman Mickey Leland of Texas would be proud. The Leland Initiative, which is named in memory of former Representative Mickey Leland, who was a large proponent of African development and died in a plane crash in Ethiopia in August 1989.
If we look back to 1996, it is clear how much progress the U.S.-Africa relationship has made since the Leland Initiative was implemented, promoting pro-growth policies and pioneering the expansion of the Internet in over twenty African countries.
By 2000, an independent study conducted by the World Bank found that Leland partner countries had more Internet firms in operation and lower telephony costs than non-Leland partner countries. The U.S.-Africa partnership in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which builds on the successes of the Leland Initiative, had already made a quantifiable difference to consumers and businesses in Africa.
In March 2003, President Bush introduced the President's Digital Freedom Initiative, often called DFI. DFI aims to harness the strengths of the U.S. public and private sectors to help the developing world utilize information and communication technologies (ICTs) to resolve development challenges.
After launching a pilot program in Dakar, Senegal, DFI expanded to include other African nations. DFI countries have set aside long-standing telecommunications monopolies -- notably in Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, and Rwanda - and the shift has benefited consumers.
Nigeria's experience is a prime example. Since 1999, USAID has worked closely with the Government of Nigeria to assist the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as it becomes a stronger, more transparent and fair telecommunications regulator. Over the last six years, Nigeria has benefited from nearly $9 billion in investment in the telecommunications and ICT sectors. I would like to recognize NCC Executive Vice-Chairman Ernest Ndukwe, who joins us today. Engineer Ndukwe's leadership and competence have been critical to the success of this venture.
Another example of positive developments can be seen in Rwanda. Working with partners in Rwanda, the United States helped implement a demonstration Internet gateway at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, also called KIST. KIST and then-Institute Rector Albert Butare were, and continue to be, chief proponents leading Rwanda's commitment to ICT development.
At this point, I would like to recognize Mr. Butare, who is here today. Mr. Butare currently serves as Rwanda's Minister of Communications and Internet Technology.
The overall picture has shifted tremendously, over the last ten years. African economies have grown stronger through increased connectivity. Over 100 million new subscribers have opened cellular phone accounts. Africa is on the move.
As we gather today, we have the opportunity to focus on some of the challenges and opportunities facing global communications policymakers on the macro-level. How do we expand broadband and rural connectivity? How do we apply technology in relevant ways for education, health, and government operations? How do we balance freedom of information against citizens' safety? And perhaps most importantly, how can we best encourage the adoption of new technologies in our increasingly connected world?
The United States has a critical interest in all of these issues. Since 1996, U.S. government staff and their African counterparts have: developed pro-growth policies, facilitated high-impact investments in information infrastructure, and applied the Internet as a tool for spurring economic growth.
Several partner countries instituted economic reforms, reducing the cost of doing business for firms and consumers by hundreds of millions of dollars.
More than 100 African firms have become Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These small companies are stimulating telecommunications markets, while facilitating business and personal communication and providing jobs across the continent.
As we look to the future, we hope to build on the U.S.-Africa partnership. Our cooperation in the telecommunications sector will support the efforts of African information and communications sector actors, as they compete in the global marketplace.
We anticipate that U.S. government programs will yield quantifiable, positive results. Foreign direct investment in critical telecommunications infrastructure is expected to increase by at least $300 million over the next five years. The secure networks necessary for financial services and remittances will expand. And perhaps most importantly, we foresee increased export competitiveness through applied information technologies and the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
There is a clear trajectory here, and it is moving forward in a positive direction. The digital era is upon us, and as we connect online and via cell phone, the Africans are joining the party.
Thank you, and with that, I'd like to introduce our global ambassador who handles telecommunications at the Department of State, David Gross.
