False, the fiber optic project has not been suspended in the Central African Republic – Fact Checking AFC
The claim about the departure of the South Korean company Tayan, which is working on the fiber optic project funded by the EU and the African Development Bank (ADB), is entirely rejected by the engineer of the Central African Backbone Fiber Optic Project and the Ministry of Digital Economy, Posts, and Telecommunications.
A Facebook post from July 24, 2022, claiming that the Central African Republic will not have fiber optic connectivity by the scheduled date due to mismanagement of funds, is FALSE.
Detailed Verification:
François Xavier Dekoupou, the national coordinator of the fiber optic project, categorically rejects this information:
“This is completely false and appears to be an attempt to undermine the project. The project is not suspended; it is ongoing. This project is funded by a grant from the European Union and the African Development Bank (ADB). Therefore, anyone suggesting that the fiber optic funds are in Bangui and being misused is mistaken; this money is in Côte d’Ivoire.”
“This information harms the efforts of both the government and the Central African people who are working to pull our country out of its economic difficulties. Those spreading such information are acting in bad faith. The project is continuing as planned,” reacted Gothia Hénoch, Mission Officer for Broadband at the Ministry of Digital Economy, Posts, and Telecommunications.
In the same vein, Mangui Barthélemy, General Director of Communication at the Ministry of Digital Economy, Posts, and Telecommunications, denies the information: “As I speak, Korean technicians are on the ground ensuring that this project will be completed as scheduled. This is false information.”
Financed by the European Union and the African Development Bank (ADB), the Central African Backbone fiber optic project, launched on October 14, 2019, in the Central African Republic, is scheduled for completion within 14 months, according to the South Korean expertise of Tayan.
By Boris Zekema, AFC
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