<<August 20, 2008>>
Archived distributions can be retrieved at;
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This archive includes a html version of this list distribution and its MS/WORD
version with its filename as Òmonth-date-year.doc.Ó You can also access
all of its attachments, if any.
M. Roy Schwarz, MD <tcandmr@comcast.net>
Muriel Glasgow, MPH <muriella@gmail.com>
Dr. Boubakar Barry <barry@aau.org>
Margaret E Ngwira <mengwira@kcn.unima.mw>
Rahul Tongia, Ph.D. <tongia@cmu.edu
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rtongia
Dear Roy:
(1) Albeit very belated, many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT I), in response to our following list distribution;
(05/28/08) Japanese
$4 billion for Trans-Africa transportation infrastructure
http://tinyurl.com/5a77dq
Answering to your query, as said in the newspaper article of ATTACHMENT I of this distribution, Japanese government now
seeks to become one of permanent members of the Security Council of the United
Nations. For this, they need to have votes from African countries, and
thus their interest in aiding them financially.
The other reason is that, after Japan succeeded to aid economic growth of South
Asian countries, they are now shifting their focus from China, India, and then
to Africa — in a sense as to compet with ChinaÕs emergence in Africa,
too.
Construction of bridges and highways with government funds has been done at
many locations, e.g., I was once very impressed with a beautiful highway in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was built by Chinese. When the
transportation highway network across African continent will be built with the
Japanese government funds, I am sure it would be supervised by the Japanese
construction companies which will work together with local vendors.
This trans-Africa transportation highway is a very exciting project, and I am
sure all stakeholders will be involved. LetÕs see what will come out in a
few years to come.
Dear Muriel:
(2) Albeit very belated, many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT II), in response to our following list distribution;
(05/28/08) Japanese
$4 billion for Trans-Africa transportation infrastructure
http://tinyurl.com/5a77dq
I greatly appreciate your strong willingness to work on this project.
Dear Boubakar:
(3) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT III), in response to our following list distribution;
(05/28/08) Japanese
$4 billion for Trans-Africa transportation infrastructure
http://tinyurl.com/5a77dq
(4) I wonder the reason why the officer at the African Union in Ethiopia did
not take this issue to present at the TICAD conference in Yokohama last May.
You may approach him again with the similar project proposal by Rahul Tongia
— see ATTACHMENT V
below.
Dear Margaret:
(5) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT IV), in response to our following list distribution;
(08/19/08)
Trans-Africa Ultra High Speed Optical Fiber Network
http://tinyurl.com/5hcqce
I visited your web with great interest. Congratulations!!
Pls read through Rahul TongiaÕs similar project proposal in ATTACHMENT V below.
I hope we can work together toward our common interest.
Dear Rahul:
(6) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT V), in response to our following list distribution;
(08/19/08)
Trans-Africa Ultra High Speed Optical Fiber Network
http://tinyurl.com/5hcqce
First of all, I thank your for your interest in reading our list distributions
in the past years!!
(7) I wholeheartedly agree with your contention that we would need a holistic
approach for the deployment of broadband Internet, which has not been done
around the world. This need is more acute necessity especially when
multimedia is to be implemented.
I mentioned the following in the above list distribution;
Installation of the
so-called ÒconnectivityÓ to provide Internet access is very important first
step, but it is not sufficient. Namely, there ought to be serious
consideration on the vision and direction how to effectively utilize such basic
social infrastructure. The latter should direct the former, because the
deployment of broadband Internet requires huge investment, and yet, the basic
principle of Internet enables ÒsharingÓ to bring drastic cost reduction — only if stakeholders are
ganged up together. But, alas to my dismay, this has often been ignored
or forgotten, especially by the Japanese government so that many of their
taxpayersÕ money has been wasted.
ÒThe
interdependency of application and network development required for successful
deployment of distributed information systems is all too often overlooked by
ICT professionals.Ó -- quoted from <http://www.ait.gr/acadPrograms/course_dis.asp#div10>
of Athens Information Technology.
Referring to your last sentence, I also agree with you 100% that the most
important and absolute necessity for a successful project is to have a
competent champion who is particularly savvy in international and domestic
political fields.
About your third para, YES, I struggled with the Japanese Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications (MPT) when I worked on the extension of Telenet (the
predecessor of Internet) in 1970s, and the deregulation of the Japanese telecom
policies for the use of email with the help of Secretary Malcom Baldrige in the
late 1970s to early 1980s. My actions were clearly the so-called
ÒCreative DestructionÓ as Joseph Shumpeter termed, since their almost completed
worldwide networks of Telex and Fax with huge investments by the Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone (NTT, the world largest corporation at that time) and
KDD (Japanese overseas telecom authority) were forfeited. This triggered
the de-monopolization and privatization of the Japanese telecom industries.
However, on the other hand, the Japanese telecom industries are now
flourishing by many players with severe competitions among them after the
de-monopolization and privatization.
(8) I read your following write-up with great interest;
Reducing One Aspect
of the Digital Divide – Connectivity
(Introducing the FiberAfrica Proposal – a Leapfrog Open Access
Network)
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/%7Etongia/FiberAfrica--ending_a_digital_divide.pdf
also at:
http://tinyurl.com/dttga
This is an excellent concept paper for the FiberAfrica project;
I hope this will be connected with EASSY in the
eastern coast of Africa continent, and Infinity-1 (or Sat-3) in the western
coast of African continent to reach to the outside world other than African
continent;
Your FiberAfrica would certainly accelerate the
shift from VSAT to optical fiber;
(9) We would need to figure out how your
FiberAfrica project can be incorporated into the transportation infrastructure
project of the Japanese government (which was mentioned in my last list
distribution — see Item (6) above.
You say that the total cost of your FiberAfrica project would be around US$1
billion. In addition to the Japanese government funds, you may consider
to have funds from the United States, Canada, Russia, China, and particularly
from the European Union to merge with their following networks;
I would be very happy to help your realization of
this FiberAfrica project.
Best, Tak
ATTACHMENT I
From: Roy and Thelma Schwarz
<tcandmr@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 21:46:44 -0400
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: [gu-new] (05/28/08) Japanese $4 billion for Trans-Africa
transportation infrastructure
Tak,
As always thank you for keeping me in the loop. Why is Japan
so interested in Africa and why this area? Do you know or can you speculate?
Also, will they deliver and if so over what timeframe? Will Japanese companies
build the highway? I hope so because if they do, quality will be assured. What
are the maintenance and governance implications if the highway is constructed?
Have the various governments that the highway will traverse given their
approval to build it or is that a hurdle that has yet to be overcome? Are there
any trade or intergovernmental agreements in place that can act as a
"skeleton" for an agreement to build a Highway? I know there is in
the Silk Road are of Asia- led by China of course.
Roy
Schwarz
ATTACHMENT II
From: muriel glasgow <muriella@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 10:07:56
-0400
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Subject: muriel glasgow
one-pager
Japanese
$4 billion for Trans-Africa transportation infrastructure
Dr Utsumi
Please find below my information re above project
Muriel Glasgow, MPH
I am honored to participate with you on this important project. We met at
the UN at a Web 2.0 Seminar where I was interested in learning about the
possibility of promoting education technologies in developing countries.
My background is 32 years with UNICEF, living and working in many developing
countries where we worked with governments in environmental issues –
providing drinking water, improving hygiene and sanitation facilities.
With the advent and accessibility of internet connectivity, my participation in
this project would give us the opportunity to look deeply into the social
aspects of connectivity, how the internet could promote and propel education,
improve learning and retention among students, make curricula more relevant and
open the minds of children to appreciate the world around them from where they
are.
I have co-founded the Worthy Nation Foundation for Excellence in Education
<http://worthynation.org/>
where countries will be honored for giving value to education.
In addition, we monitor progress in the implementation of the MDGs,
especially Goal 7 – Environmental Sustainability <http://muriella.googlepages.com/waterandenvironment>
And through a series of podcast interviews on United Nations Yak
<http://www.unitednationsyak.com/>
Newsletter <http://muriellascorner.com/Subscribe>
Muriel Glasgow, MPH
Co-Founder, Worthy Nation Foundation <http://worthynation.org/>
Producer, United Nations Yak <http://www.unitednationsyak.com/>
May 30, 2008
ATTACHMENT III
From: Boubakar Barry <barry@aau.org>
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:53:17
+0000
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Cc: gu-new <gu-new@friends-partners.org>
Subject: Re: [gu-new]
(08/19/08) Trans-Africa Ultra High Speed Optical Fiber Network
Hi Tak,
On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 1:40 PM, Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D.
<utsumi@columbia.edu> wrote:
.
(4) Since you did not respond to my list distributions mentioned in the Item
(2) above, I approached the Association of African Universities (AAU) in
Accra, Ghana, who took it to an officer of the African Union (AU), but no
response at all since then yet.
Yes, I sent emails
several times to AUC Officials and insisted on the extraordinary opportunity
but unfortunately, they did not take it up.
Boubakar
ATTACHMENT IV
From: Margaret Ngwira
<mengwira@kcn.unima.mw>
Organization: Kamuzu College of Nursing
Reply-To: <mengwira@kcn.unima.mw>
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:03:11 +0200
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Subject: RE: [gu-new] (08/19/08) Trans-Africa Ultra High Speed Optical
FiberNetwork
Tak,
You may have noticed that the footprint of UbuntuNet Alliance gets ever larger,
now including 10 countries including Sudan and DRC . (www.ubuntunet.net ) We
are in close contact with AAU and the West African developing NRENs. We are so
impatient for the Trans African Ultra Speed Optical Fibre Network!
We have contacts in most countries in the region through the NRENs.
Please keep applying your energy and expertise so that we see the
implementation.
Cheers
Margaret
Margaret E Ngwira
Secretary, UbuntuNet Alliance
Kamuzu College of Nursing
University of Malawi
Private Bag 1, LILONGWE
Malawi
Phone +265 (0) 1 757 456
Fax +265 (0) 1 756 090\
www.ubuntunet.net
ATTACHMENT V
From: Rahul Tongia <tongia@cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:44:42
-0400
To: <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Cc: gu-new
<gu-new@friends-partners.org>, Rahul Tongia <tongia@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: [gu-new] (08/19/08)
Trans-Africa Ultra High Speed Optical Fiber Network
Dr. Utsumi,
If I may respond, as a long-time reader of the list, and, more significantly, a
long-time scholar of networks for Africa, the challenge is not one of
"ultra high speed" vs. merely high speed. It is of the
integrated design that spans technology, business models, and regulation.
If readers wish to see a proposal dubbed "FiberAfrica", we have
talked about how an open access broadband network could be deployed for only
about $1/capita capital costs! This work has been seen by a number of
leading World Bank, UN, and country officials in Africa (I was formerly
Vice-Chair of the UN ICT Task Force Working Group on Low-cost Connectivity
Access).
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/%7Etongia/FiberAfrica--ending_a_digital_divide.pdf
also at:
http://tinyurl.com/dttga
The challenges are ones of regulatory design, since this system creates some
"losers" (providers who have invested in or have vested interests in
the status quo), but many different winners.
One other thing I've learned (the hard way!) is that almost no developing
country says no to a good idea, but how far do they really take the required
actions for change?
Best,
Rahul
***********************************************
Rahul Tongia, Ph.D.
Senior Systems Scientist
Program in Computation, Organizations, and Society (COS)
School of Computer Science (ISR) /
Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
tel: 412-268-5619
fax: 412-268-2338
email: tongia@cmu.edu
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rtongia
List of
Distribution
M. Roy Schwarz, MD
Former President, China Medical Board of New York, Inc. & Institute for
International Medical Education
812 Armistead Street
Winchester, Virginia 22601, U.S.A.
Tel.: (540) 678.8748
tcandmr@comcast.net
Muriel Glasgow, MPH
Director, Sustainable Relationships
Genie Investments Global, Inc.
Your Business Wish is Our Command
New York, New York, 10022
212 826 9697
muriella@gmail.com
muriella@gigincglobal.com
Hubbie - Humanity Unites Brilliance <http://muriella.hubhub.org > --
Joyously give, joyously receive
http://genieinvestmentsglobal.com
www.superteaching.org
http://snipurl.com/superteach
http://unitednationsyak.com
Editor, Muriella's Corner, <http://muriellascorner.com/Subscribe
> online newsletter on health and nutrition
Dr. Boubakar Barry
Coordinator, Research and Education Networking Unit
Association of African Universities (AAU)
P.O.Box 5744 Accra North, Ghana
Tel: (233)21 774495/761588
Mobile: (233)24 6682059
Fax: (233)21 774821
barry@aau.org
boubakarbarry@gmail.com
Website: http://www.aau.org
Margaret E Ngwira
College Librarian and Secretary, MALICO
Kamuzu College of Nursing
University of Malawi
Private Bag 1, LILONGWE
Malawi
Tel: +265 (0)1 757 456
Cel: 09-955-856
Fax +265 (0)1 756 090
mengwira@kcn.unima.mw
tnmngwira@globemw.net
mgtngwira@hotmail.com
http://www.kcn.unima.mw
and
Interim Secretariat
UbuntuNet Alliance
http://www.ubuntunet.net/
Rahul Tongia, Ph.D.
Senior Systems Scientist
Program in Computation, Organizations, and Society (COS)
School of Computer Science (ISR) /
Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
tel: 412-268-5619
fax: 412-268-2338
email: tongia@cmu.edu
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rtongia
*******************************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
*
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.)
*
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education
*
* Founder and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of
*
* Global University System (GUS)
*
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-5913, U.S.A.
*
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Email: utsumi@columbia.edu
*
* http://www.itu.int/wsis/goldenbook/search/display.asp?Quest=8032562&lang=en
*
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
*
* U.S. Federal Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 <http://tinyurl.com/534gxc>
*
* New York State Tax Exempt ID: 217837 <http://tinyurl.com/47wqbo>
*
*******************************************************************************