In his remarks at the G-20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, President Biden hailed USAID’s partnership with CSquared to bring broadband high-speed internet connectivity to Liberia.
President Biden on Tuesday noted that through its “Digital Invest blended finance program,” the United States is working with CSquared to “establish a nationwide fiber network that is going to connect 1 million Liberians to the web.”
The innovative financing model means that the project does not impose any debt on the Government of Liberia, according to a USAID statement.
The 350 km fiber network or backbone will extend from Monrovia to Liberia’s borders with Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire, crossing more than 13 cities.
This follows CSquared successful 2017 partnership with USAID that, in collaboration with the Liberia Telecommunications Authority, brought reliable broadband infrastructure to Monrovia and its environs.
USAID’s support leverages larger investments by CSquared, a joint venture owned by Google, Mitsui & Co. of Japan, Convergence Partners of South Africa, and the International Finance Corporation, which is making commercially driven investments in broadband-enabling infrastructure in Africa.
Reliable internet connectivity is an important part of USAID’s efforts to help Liberia improve the delivery of health and education services and create an enabling environment for a strong market-driven economy that promotes inclusive development, (LINA).
