East African Community (EAC) Secretary General (SG) Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Google X – Project Loon to deepen the collaboration for provision of ICT services and technologies in the East African Community (EAC) region.
The signing took place on Tuesday at Project Loon Briefing Workshop at Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
Here is Mfumukeko’s full speech;
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you and all the invited participants to this Briefing Workshop organised jointly by Google X’s Project Loon, the Government of Kenya and the EAC Civil Aviation Safety and Security Agency (CASSOA).
I wish to appreciate EAC Partner States for sending delegations to this Workshop and each one of you for setting aside your busy time to take part in the two day Briefing.
I would like to welcome Project Loon team to East Africa. Last Year in September, I was happy to have visited the Project’s Headquarters in Mountain View in California. While in Google’s museum of new inventions, I realized the urgency for East Africa to grasp the business opportunities offered by new technologies to create a competitive advantage for industries in our region.
Thanks to the Global Innovation Competition co-sponsored by Google, we were able to have 3 young East Africans, 2 from Kenya and 1 from Uganda selected and brought for incubation at Singularity University based at the NASA Ames Park in Mountain View CA, close to Google HQ. EAC wishes to strengthen our relations with Google and other leading technological firms worldwide to enable effective transfer of the latest technologies to East Africa and develop local talents in science and technologies.
EAC has created a Science and Technology Commission; the East African Health Research Commission and the Inter-university Council of East Africa because we believe that education, mainly in sciences and technology, as well as research are the foundation of any competitive economy.
The EAC’s 5th Development Strategy covering the period 2017 to 2022, underscores the centrality of technology and industrialisation in the overall development of the Community.
The role of ICT as a cornerstone for this mission is critical.
We are, therefore, excited that the launch of the balloon anchored internet infrastructure by Loon targeting the under-served areas of the world makes its debut on the continent in the EAC Region.
I assure Loon that the choice of EAC will undoubtedly anchor the Project on a positive growth and expansion trajectory on the African Continent.
Colleagues
The 4th Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat held in February this year directed the Council of Ministers to prioritise and fast track the development and access to ICT in the region as way of expanding the opportunities for growth and employment for the regional economy.
This is clearly in line with the EAC Treaty Article 89(d) that requires States “to maintain, expand, and upgrade their communication facilities to enhance interaction between persons and businesses in the Partner States and promote the full exploitation of the market and investment opportunities created by the Community”
You will further recall that, among others, the EAC Common Market Protocol places trade in services at the centre of the region’s integration process.
Rapid growth of the Services’ side of the EAC Common Market will require the availability of adequate and reliable internet connectivity and capacity as an enabler.
We are all aware of the huge internet coverage gaps in the region where internet connectivity is poor or non-existent leading to near closure of these areas from the opportunities offered by the internet.
Colleagues
Looking at the foregoing aspects of the EAC integration process, one of the most critical underpinnings to unlock the growth and market potential for the region and contribute to equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the EAC’s Vision is expanded access to ICT.
It, therefore, requires no belabouring the fact that the entry of Project Loon, targeting provision of internet connectivity in underserved areas in our region is a most welcome development with positive transformational and growth dividends.
EAC, therefore, appeals to the Partner States to embrace this Project and extend to it the support required to launch and operate in all the Partner States.
I have confidence that in the course of the two days briefing all the operational and technical aspects of the Project will be discussed to clear the way for the foregoing consideration.
Colleagues
As I conclude, I wish to once again reiterate the Community’s commitment to support innovative developments from the private and public sectors that bring the vision of a fully integrated and developed EAC closer to a reality and thank Loon for choosing EAC as the launch pad for this clearly transformational Project.
To further strengthen the mutual partnership between EAC and Loon, we have agreed to sign, in the course of today, a letter of intent to deepen our collaboration.
With these few remarks, I wish this Briefing Workshop great success and thank you all for your attention.
