So what, as renowned playwright William Shakespeare once asked, is in a name? Does a rose (flower) by any another name still smell the same?

The recent pronouncement by South Africa’s communications minister, Matsepe-Casaburri that the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) had been renamed the NEPAD Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN) was as astounding as her assertion, during the same function, that “the original model developed for the cable is not what international financial institutions such as the World Bank would have liked.” This was in direct reference to the closed access model, believed to be widely favoured by the consortium telecom operators who conceived the EASSy project way back in 1992.

Whereas the merits and demerits of closed access have been widely debated by all and sundry, the assertion gives further credence to what some analysts have for long asked: What really does the World Bank stand for? In the early 1990s, the Washington-based financial institution pushed for the liberalisation and privatisation of the telecom sub-sector in almost all African countries - with resounding success. By so doing, the World Bank wanted governments to get out of utility services such as telecommunications so that the profit-driven and often more efficient private sector takes centre stage. Countries like Uganda, that implemented the structural adjustment policies are now role models of accepting the closed access model of telecom growth and are reaping big dividends. So has the World Bank changed its thinking on liberalisation when it supports NEPAD—a representative of regional governments? That however, is another story.

Today’s story is entirely about the change of name by NEPAD. On the outlook, there is nothing to write home about. It is just a change of name, period! Two glaring facts are however very clear about the development: First, NEPAD is now the regional initiative that is implementing the once much-publicised EASSy project. Secondly, “that EASSy thing” as it was once labelled by a member of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission is just a component of what NEPAD is doing now. The Pretoria-based commission is currently working implementing the overall “broadband infrastructure network”.

Whereas the implementation of the project is only awaiting signing and ratification of the protocol and perhaps the announcement of the new landing point for the second undersea cable, the renaming of the project further shows that the founding fathers of the EASSy cable are being relegated to a less fancied position in the decision making hierarchy. Although NEPAD has, on several occasions, denied claims by some consortium members that it “hijacked their thing”, the renaming of the project would lend more sympathy to the “club members” in the cause than to the regional body. The situation is akin to constructing a house’s internal water and sewerage system—complete with high-density pipes - without working on the outside system that connects it to the municipality or national grid.

When will NEPAD, given the bureaucratic protocol issues, pull off the broadband project all the way from South Africa through Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda to Kigali as explained by the communications minister? Won’t individual countries like Uganda who are in the process of laying their own backbone infrastructure complete theirs and tap onto the Kenyan link and trigger a “tapping wave” from its neighbours especially Rwanda and Burundi? Won’t private investors, who have already smelt a business opportunity cash in on the situation to tap on the Kenya line to do closed access business before NEPAD opens up its network?

NEPAD needs to ponder these and more questions as it embarks on implementing the region’s eagerly awaited infrastructure project. Having re-named the baby, it is not wise to throw out young EASSy’s bed just yet. Implementing the EASSy project, as first conceived in 2002 would have delivered immediate relief to those in urgent need of affordable bandwidth and reliable connectivity than implementing a massive broadband project, subject to bureaucratic and funding bottlenecks under a new name. The equation is simple: If it sounds like ‘EASSy’, it should be easy. Wrapping rose flowers to be delivered as a Valentine’s Day gift to your spouse or lover with inscriptions reading, “accept these bougainvillea flowers” does not, in any way negate the fact that they are rose flowers. But then, when have EASSy matters ever been easy?