The Central Africa Backbone project continues in Gabon

In the framework of the Central African Backbone (CAB) project launched in April 2007 during the summit in Ndjamena (chad), Guy Bertrand Mapangou, the minister of Communication and Digital economy has launched the fiber optic interconnection activities this 21st september 2018.

The connection of the fiber optic backbones will be between Gabon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. One should note that the first phase of the CAB which was completed in April 2018 focused on the interconnection of the fiber-optic backbones between Gabon and Congo.

Moreover Fiber-optic cables provide high performance data networking and a much better way of communicating with others than Copper. Indeed the aim of the CAB project launched by the countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community is to enhance the capacity of the digital link among the eleven CEMAC countries.

Hopefully that the project will continue till it covers all the other countries involved( Central African Republic, Chad, São Tomé and Príncipe…). This launch comes after the closure last April of the fiber optic link of Gabon with neighboring Congo. People living in rural areas can rejoice and push a sigh of relief because broadband will be very soon, for them a reality. The World Bank which financed the plan was based on a simple observation: the internet is limited in the countries of Central Africa to capitals, leaving the rural populations to their sad fate.

By connecting these fibers, the Bretton Woods institution intends to relieve the international transit of data and greatly reduce the high cost of communication. With a loan of 28 million dollars, the World Bank will help Gabon to extend in a year its cable over a distance of 520 km.

Recall that the institution has already granted significant financial assistance for the deployment of 1,100 km of optical fiber drawn from the capital Libreville to the border of Congo Brazzaville for $ 60 million. Full deployment by China Communications Service International (CCSI) across the country to the Congolese border.

Lyda Gbadji