Ghana/ Burkina Faso to share in broadband connectivity

Tamale, May 11, GNA- Ghana and Burkina Faso are to collaborate on infrastructure, tariff and regulatory mechanisms sharing in the interconnection of fibre optic networks between the two countries, which is expected to be completed by 2012. To this end, Ghana would spend over 40 million dollars as its contribution, while Burkina Faso would also provide over 300 million CFA to cover the cost of the project.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Ghana's Minister of Communications and Mr. Noel Kabore, the Burkinabe Minister of Posts and ICT, made this known at a meeting of technical experts in communication from the two countries in Tamale at the weekend. The communication experts were on a two-day tour of the country to find out the most feasible locations where the broadband could be connected and to finalise agreements on the project.

The technical experts noted that Bawku and Kulungungu in Ghana were the most practical points to achieve interconnection and therefore decided that the two countries should focus on the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Kulungugu route in Ghana and the Mongade and Bittou route in Burkina Faso for the interconnectivity. To facilitate the fibre optic interconnectivity, the National Communications Backbone (NCBC) would construct an Optic Fibre Groundwire (OPGW) over a power grid from Bolgatanga to Bawku and extend the network through buried fibre to Kulungugu.

The two countries agreed that ONATEL of Burkina Faso would extend its optic fibre connection from Bittou to Bawku while NCBC would continue with plans to bury its fibre from Bolgatanga to Kulungugu via Bawku and provide a back-up solution.

According to the plan, Burkina Faso would also accelerate the construction of an optic fibre from Ouagadougou to Po to be connected with Ghana through Paga in the Upper East Region.

Addressing the meeting, the two Communications Ministers recalled the commitments of member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to foster economic integration among them. They noted that the interconnection of the telecommunications networks would open up enormous business opportunities for Ghana and Burkina Faso within the West African sub-region. They further noted that while some initiatives and communication links had already been undertaken by the two countries, there were still some missing linkages of optic fibre between Ghana and Burkina Faso; Ghana and Togo; and Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. The Ministers later signed a declaration and pledged to maintain regular dialogue while reporting their conclusions to the regional economic communities.