From the fibre for Africa list -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Fibre-for-africa] [Fwd: Re: [kictanet] [Fwd: Re: SEACOM gets funding boost]] Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:21:16 +0100 (CET) From: Wairagala Wakabi <wakabi@cipesa.org> Reply-To: APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants <fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org> To: APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants <fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org> References: <478EEA7B.7040702@apc.org> <FB0CFC3EE5CB18438CE7E5D638A91B8082084F@SFCMAIL01.safaricom.net> Vitalis, Fibre-for-Africa (www.fibreforafrica.net) today put this issue to Mr Herlihy, president of SEACOM. His response: "I can confirm that both of us worked and spent many years with Africa ONE for the hope that this project would go forward. However, neither of us were principals of this project and left the project from 2002. It was our understanding that the only countries that made a deposit were Eritrea and Mauritania. "We understand that the sales person for Eritrea was able to help that money be returned. It should be noted that the Africa ONE name was sold by AT&T to a private investment group in 1998 and it was this group who was responsible for that money ¬ JP and myself have nothing to do with this entity. Since Africa (2002) I have worked as a developer on over $5 billion of projects in Africa, each of which have excellent reputations and large impacts in their respective countries, including Bujagali in Uganda." Wakabi

If the two men, Jean Pierre de Leu - a resident in Kenya and owner of Karibunet and Brian Hilehy President of Heracles from SA- were truly involved in Africa One Project, then they should explain what happened to the contributions made to the Africa One Project, after it became a "White Elephant". The defunct KPTC and many other organizations did contribute to this project but it did not take-off. How can we trust them now that SEACOM will not go the same direction? And even if Seacom will be a success story, they should refund the contributions for Africa One.

Vitalis

-----Original Message----- From: fibre-for-africa-bounces@lists.apc.org [mailto:fibre-for-africa-bounces@lists.apc.org] On Behalf Of alice Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 8:41 AM To: APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants Subject: [Fibre-for-africa] [Fwd: Re: [kictanet] [Fwd: Re: SEACOM gets funding boost]]

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Fwd: Re: [Fibre-for-africa] SEACOM gets funding boost] Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:16:48 +0300 From: Victor Maloi <victormaloi3@gmail.com> To: alice <alice@apc.org> CC: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> References: <478E11D0.1070605@apc.org>

Wakabi, You have not addressed the fact that the principals behind Seacom collected funds from African Telcos and never refunded the money when the project failed. KPTC now Telcom Kenya indeed paid and never recovered the funds. Should we embrace these individuals even when they

stole from our national investments? Please declare your interests too.

Victor

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Fibre-for-africa] SEACOM gets funding boost Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:31:24 +0100 (CET) From: Wairagala Wakabi <wakabi@cipesa.org <mailto:wakabi@cipesa.org>> Reply-To: APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants <fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org <mailto:fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org>> To: APC - Private list for use by EASSY Workshop Participants <fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org <mailto:fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org>> CC: Kenya ICT Action Network - KICTANet <kictanet@kictanet.or.ke <mailto:kictanet@kictanet.or.ke>> References: < 3104.217.113.73.239.1195028026.squirrel@mail.cipesa.org <mailto:3104.217.113.73.239.1195028026.squirrel@mail.cipesa.org>> <478CFEF7.1040209@apc.org <mailto:478CFEF7.1040209@apc.org>>

Alice, Our understanding is that SEACOM (The Sea Cable System) is a registered in Mauritius and owned 25% by Herakles Telecom - the managing partner for the cable who is based in New York.

The other partners: 1) Industrial Promotion Service of the Aga Khan Foundation (25%); 2) Venfin (a South African investment holding company with interests in IT (25%); 3) Shanduka Group, a South African investment company (12.5%); 4) Convergence Partners, a South African Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) investment company focusing on the Telecommunications, Media and Technology (TMT) sector - 12.5%.

SEACOM says the ownership structure varies for each segment of the cable, which ensures local ownership of the cable segments connecting individual countries to comply with regulations in those countries. The cable backbone along the east coast of Africa and to India and Europe is owned by SEACOM; while the segments connecting to individual countries are either 100% (South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, India, France) or 35% (Tanzania, Kenya) locally owned.

Wakabi

===== > Hi all > > Out of curiosity, who is SEACOM? rather who are behind SEACOM? > Anyone conducted due diligence. Any connection to the Africa One saga? > > best > alice > > > > Wairagala Wakabi wrote: >> Netters, >> Its backers are saying SEACOM will be the only new cable completed in >> time >> to give South Africa the bandwidth needed for the 2010 WC, with "actual >> production of the fibreoptic cable and undersea facilities" starting >> next >> week. SA's SNO, NEOTEL, has helped marshal capital from local financial >> heavyweights, enabling NEOTEL to be owned 50% by South Africans. >> >> Tut Tut... >> >> Wakabi >> >> >> Sea cable venture lands big investors >> >> By Lesley Stones, Business Day, November 14 2007 >> >> AN UNDERSEA cable promising cheap bandwidth for Africa yesterday finally >> named its backers, signing up enough well-connected local investors to >> guarantee its landing rights in SA. >> >> Investment heavyweight Venfin is sinking $75m into the project, taking a >> 25% stake in the 15000km cable linking SA to India and Europe. >> >> Cyril Ramaphosa's black investment house Shanduka is taking 12,5%, worth >> $37,5m. Another 12,5% goes to Convergence Partners, a group of black >> investors led by Andile Ngcaba, the chairman of Dimension Data Africa >> and >> a former director-general of the communications department. Nedbank >> Capital and Investec will provide financing for the $650m project. >> >> SA's second network operator, Neotel, is pumping in a far more modest >> R20m, and using its telecoms licence to guarantee that the cable can >> dock >> in SA. >> >> The local ownership is sufficient to ensure that Seacom meets >> controversial new conditions being drawn up by Communications Minister >> Ivy >> Matsepe-Casaburri, dictating who can land a cable in SA. The minister is >> insisting that any cable must be majority owned by African investors to >> come ashore. >> >> South Africans hold 50% of Seacom, and that rises to 75% African >> ownership >> thanks to 25% held by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development's >> Industrial Promotion Services, a development agency based in Kenya. >> >> The remaining 25% lies with New York's Herakles Telecom, a development >> group that has invested $4bn in Africa. >> >> Neotel is investing only in the local landing station, but its licence >> to >> operate in SA conferred on it the right to land a cable, said MD Ajay >> Pandey. >> >> "Our understanding is that the country needs international capacity, and >> the way international cable landing protocols have been defined means we >> have the opportunity here." >> >> Venfin CEO Jannie Durand said Neotel's licence to land a cable in SA >> meant >> everything had been done "legally and correctly". Venfin was backing >> Seacom for two reasons, he said: "We are hopefully going to make a lot >> of >> money out of it and SA needs more bandwidth. We want to bring SA >> affordable bandwidth to the rest of the world." >> >> Although the cable will cost $650m, it would be partly funded by loans >> as >> well as equity, allowing Venfin to take 25% for less than the book value >> of the project, Durand said. >> >> Pandey believes Seacom will be the onlyThe actual production of the >> fibreoptic cable and undersea facilities will start next week. >> >> The consortium has already invested more than $10m in a marine survey >> and >> engineering of the cable. The actual production of the fibreoptic cable >> and undersea facilities will start next week. >> >> Seacom will connect Mtunzini in SA to Mumbai in India and Marseilles in >> France via Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania by June 2009. >> >> Terrestrial links will be built to take its bandwidth to numerous other >> inland countries. Its capacity of 1,28 terabytes per second is 10 times >> the capacity on the existing Sat-3 cable around Africa's west coast. >> >> The consortium has promised that it will charge other voice and data >> carriers significantly less for its bandwidth than they pay to use Sat-3 >> or satellite services, which should trigger a massive decrease in the >> cost >> of phone calls, internet access and data transmissions for African >> consumers and businesses. >> >> "Improved access for business and individuals in Africa to >> communications, >> broadband services and new technology offerings can improve lives and >> help >> grow the economies of our countries," said Ngcaba, the chairman of >> Convergence Partners. "The linking of southern and east Africa with >> India >> and Europe is crucial for enhancing development and trade between these >> key regions." >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Fibre-for-africa mailing list >> Fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org <mailto:Fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org> >> http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Fibre-for-africa mailing list > Fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org <mailto:Fibre-for-africa@lists.apc.org> > http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa >

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