(Ecofin Agency) - The Egyptian company Benya Capital can start building optical fiber throughout the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The agreement was signed last June 23 in Cairo, Egypt, by the company and Société Congolaise des Postes et Télécommunications (SCPT) - the incumbent operator and manager of the national telecoms infrastructure. This was on the sidelines of the Forum for African Heads of Investment Commissions. According to the deal, 16,000 km of optical fiber is to be deployed across the Congolese territory.

"This is a great opportunity not only for the Congolese people who will benefit from connectivity to the remotest corners of the Republic, but also for the economic sector, banks, universities, administration and tax services ... the development of a country passes inevitably by the transformation of its infrastructure in fiber optics, and SCPT is fully committed to building the largest African network in the country, " said Didier Musete, CEO of SCPT.

The launch of Benya Capital’s work is the materialization of the will of the DRC president, Felix Tshisekedi, to make the digital sector a pillar of national development. During his visit to Cairo on February 1 and 2, 2020, he facilitated the outcome of negotiations initiated for several months between the two parties and signed a memorandum of understanding including the technical, financial, and social aspects of the project.

During the Council of Ministers of October 16, 2020, Felix Tshisekedi identified the cause of the country's digital backwardness to be the lack of systematic investment policy in telecom infrastructure. Through the high-speed network under construction, the Head of State hopes to improve the coverage of the national territory in high-speed connectivity, reduce the digital divide and strengthen the technical means essential to the country for its digital transformation.

Muriel Edjo