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"Get in the middle of a chain reaction" we are urged by the lyrics of the Diana Ross song "Chain Reaction"; and it would seem also by The ITU at the on going Connect Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda (from 29 to 30 Oct. 2007).
According to Dr Hamadoun I. Toure; Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): "All the ingredients are coming together for a chain reaction".
The CHAIN REACTION refers to the snowballing effect that would ensue – in terms of socio-economic growth – when "better" communications connectivity exists amongst African countries and between Africa and the rest of the world.
If the first day of the Summit is anything to go by, ALL INGREDIENTS refers predominantly to the finance and expertise/skill of the private sector; enabling environment provided by governments; technical support and (perhaps) finance of international organisations; and laissez-faire/"light touch" approach of regulatory authorities.
…but what would be the result of a ‘reaction’ made up of the ingredients listed above? After all, what you get is to a large extent dependent on what you put in; and the palpable lack of references and focus on the public interest – other than the assumed "good" that would trickle down from the presence of sustainable private sector networks – does not bode well for consumers in the continent.
We need to add new ingredients to increase our chances of making this a recipe for success. Including the participation of stakeholders that promote and support the public value of networks – consumer groups, civil society, the media, consumer-orientated regulators, objective research on models that would deliver more balanced results (in terms of public vs. private value).
…if the message of Connect Africa is that a better connected Africa increases the development prospects of the continent then surely we should be putting the public interest into the middle of this chain reaction and not the interest of the private sector.
