TIA develops 39-measure roadmap to boost investment
(TAP) - The Tunisian Investment Authority (TIA) has developed a roadmap 39 measures based on a consultation between the public and private sectors to boost investment in Tunisia. This roadmap will be soon submitted to a Cabinet meeting, it emerged from a national workshop on “Rethinking investment - Reboot.”
Five sectors are prioritised in this document: automotive, aerospace, ICT, pharmaceutical industry and renewable energy, president of the TIA, Mohamed Ouertatani said at the workshop.
He considered it necessary now to take better advantage of opportunities offered in the automotive component sector, especially during this period marked by the exit of several investors from Ukraine. There is a possibility of attracting these investors to Tunisia, especially since the country "has several privileges in relation to human resources, the low cost of production and geographical proximity to Europe," according to the official.
Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Saied said the five sectors identified are promoting, and the establishment of a partnership between the two public and private sectors will strengthen the added value of several activities.
"The measures designed under the roadmap are mainly on land issues, cash transfers and port traffic. They are based on a rapprochement between academia and private enterprises in addition to simplifying administrative procedures and improving the business climate.
Saied pointed out that his department has launched an inventory to identify the buildings ready to host investors wishing to set up in Tunisia, including those from Ukraine.
He also said several visits are planned to European capitals this week to meet with foreign investors and promote the site Tunisia.
On another level, the Minister indicated that discussions with the IMF are moving forward and that reaching an agreement with the international donor will allow Tunisia to restore its financial balance and boost investment.
Orginal Article Link: https://www.tap.info.tn/en/Portal-Economy/15198564-tia-develops
World’s longest subsea cable lands in Djibouti, East Africa
Meta's 2Africa subsea cable has landed in Djibouti City, Djibouti.
Djibouti Telecom announced on 13 May that the country’s 9th subsea cable, which is 45,000 km long, had landed in the capital.
At 45,000 km and circling the African continent, the subsea cable is the longest fiber optic cable in the world and will connect three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe, and 33 countries across 46 landing points. It is due to go live in 2023/2024.
State-owned Djibouti Telecom will host the cable at the new Cable Landing Station which is currently under construction and will host others in the future. The CLS will consist of three floors with each floor having a 250 square meter (2,690 sq ft) equipment room. The 3rd floor will reportedly be reserved for colocation. When originally announced in October 2021, the facility was expected to be completed by April 2022.
The consortium behind the 2Africa subsea cable is made up of several companies including Meta, China Mobile International, MTN Global Connect, Orange, Vodafone, Egypt Telecom Saudi Telecom Company, and the West Indian Ocean Cable Company.
In April the cable made its first landing in Genoa, Italy, at Equinix's GN1.
Djibouti Telecom is a Government-run telecommunications company in the country that provides landline, mobile, and internet services to the general public.
The cable should significantly increase connectivity capabilities for Djibouti Telecom in a country undergoing significant growth in internet demand. In 2010, just seven percent of the population was reported to be using the internet. By 2020, this had jumped to 59 percent.
Improving internet connectivity was a major driver for Djibouti Telecom entering into an agreement with Meta, formerly known as Facebook, to land the cable in the country.
The construction of the cable was awarded to the French company ASN (Alcatel Submarine Networks).
In 2019 the company announced its plans with Meta to introduce an aluminum conductor in optical fiber cables as the most cost-effective submarine method. The press release stated that the cable variant had already been selected for a ‘major long-distance project’ however it has not been stated whether this project was the 2Africa cable.
As part of the announcement of 2Africa, a ceremony was held at beach Siesta with the Minister of Communication, Djibouti Telecom representatives, and representatives of the Smart Africa Alliance who stayed on in Djibouti to run a seminar on the Cloud with the Ministry of Digital Economy.
Djibouti is already a landing point for a number of subsea cables, with more due in the coming years. As well as 2Africa, Reliance Jio’s IEX, and the France-to-Pakistan-and-Kenya Peace Cable are all expected to land in Djibouti City in the near future.
2Africa is not the only subsea cable to land on the African continent this year. In March, Google’s Equiano cable landed in Togo and Nigeria, featuring 12 fiber pairs and a linking Portugal to South Africa. The Peace cable has also landed in Mombasa, Kenya.
Orginal Article Link: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/worlds-longest-subsea-cable-lands-in-djibouti-east-africa/