KAMPALA, UGANDA —Uganda is negotiating a new internet cable route through Tanzania, a move aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on Kenya for its internet connectivity.
Currently, 100% of Uganda’s internet traffic to the world passes through Kenya, but Ambassador Patrick Kabonero, Uganda’s Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) coordinator, says an alternative route is needed.
“Under the NCIP, we are negotiating for an alternative route through Tanzania, which will be led by the private sector,” Mr. Kabonero explained during the 14th Finance and Private Sector Participation Summit held in Kampala.
The development comes after a regional internet outage that lasted over two days, caused by disruptions to the SEACOM and EASSy subsea cable systems. The outage highlighted the need for redundant internet connectivity to ensure more reliable services.
According to Mr. Kabonero, establishing an alternative route is seen as a vital step towards ensuring more reliable internet services across the region.
Discussions are also ongoing regarding the implementation of a One Area Network (OAN) across East Africa. The initiative, supported by telecom companies, aims to reduce data costs, increase internet traffic, and facilitate cross-border transactions.
The NCIP is an East African regional initiative aimed at accelerating integration through shared infrastructure, services, and administrative systems. It is divided into 14 clusters, one of which focuses on finance and private sector participation.
However, funding has been a significant challenge for NCIP projects. To address this, Mr. Kabonero highlighted efforts to involve finance ministries in the decision-making process.
The Northern Corridor, a major transport route, links Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya’s port of Mombasa. Serving a population of approximately 120 million people, the corridor also extends to southern Ethiopia and northern Tanzania.
The NCIP, initiated in June 2013 by President Yoweri Museveni, alongside former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, seeks to accelerate East African Community (EAC) projects that have a far-reaching impact on the region’s economies and populations.
Key NCIP initiatives include the development of a standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Kigali, oil product and crude oil pipelines, and an oil refinery in Uganda. Other projects include boosting electricity generation and interconnectivity, establishing a single customs territory, and advancing political federation.
Uganda specifically coordinates four NCIP clusters: the development of the Standard Gauge Railway, ICT infrastructure, building an oil refinery, and project financing with private sector involvement.
The 15th NCIP Summit is scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, where progress on these initiatives will be reviewed.
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