The Pan-African e-Network project is an information and communications technology (ICT) project between India and the African Union that seeks to connect the 55 member states of the Union through a satellite and fibre-optic network to India and to each other to enable access to and sharing of expertise between India and African states in the areas of tele-education, telemedicine, Voice over IP, infotainment, resource mapping, meteorological services, e-governance and e-commerce services.
[2][6] The idea for the project came from the then President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam who proposed such a network during his address to the Pan-African Parliament in Johannesburg in 2004.
[8] The first phase of the project was launched on 26 February 2009 by the then Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee and included the 11 countries of Sudan, Rwanda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal and Seychelles.
The second phase of the project that covers 12 countries- Botswana, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Uganda and Zambia- was launched in 2010 by the Minister of External Affairs, S M Krishna.
[1][6] The response to the project in Africa has been enthusiastic with tele-education and telemedicine facilities allowing for access to Indian expertise in these fields in a cost-effective manner.