(Business in Cameroon) - The 5^th session of the National Steering Committee (CPN) of the “Central African Optic Fibre Backbone” project (CAB) was held on 5 April in Yaoundé, under the effective chairmanship of the Minister of Posts and Telecommunication, Minette Libom Li Likeng, President of said Committee and her Vicd-President, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Communication.

On the agenda, the review of the implementation of the project's activities since the previous session of the Committee held in September 2016. Among the actions achieved during that session, was the four-year programme (2016-2019) of the CAB project which benefited globally from over FCfa 30 billion in financing from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). The members of CPN also reviewed and adopted the action plan and budget for 2017. A budget of roughly FCfa 4 billion.

The CAB project came from the commitment of the Central African Heads of State who, during the CEMAC Summit held in Ndjamena in May 2007, adopted a common declaration calling for the implementation of a Central African broadband network, consistent with the regional integration strategy. This is about, among other things, promoting public-private partnership (PPP) and developing wholesale markets (network operators).

This declaration by the Heads of State was guided by the absence of broadband network in every Central African country, with the effect of the high cost of telecommunication/ICT services on the business environment in the sub-region.

S.A