A meeting of ministers of African countries involved in the East African Submarine Cable System (Eassy) project has been postponed until further notice.
Media reports indicated ministers from the 23 African countries that initially signed the memorandum of agreement for the undersea cable project would meet in Malawi this month to thrash out controversies surrounding the project.
Issues include whether the project can continue without some of the member countries signing the protocol that sets the governance framework for the project. To date, only 13 of the initial 23 participants have signed the protocol, with Kenya being vocal about its criticism of the governance framework.
Edmund Katiti, New Partnership for Africa's Development programme manager for policy, says the meeting also aimed to provide a progress report to the member countries.
However, it was decided the meeting should take place when the intergovernmental assembly was in a position to offer new information on the assignments coordinators were previously given.
The intergovernmental assembly coordinates the activities of the Eassy member countries.
"We decided the meeting was premature," says Katiti.
Assignments for the coordinators also included speaking to telecoms operators in their own countries to smooth over conflicts on the policies set by the governments, he adds.
The intergovernmental assembly has also been tasked with undertaking feasibility studies related to the project, he says.
Katiti adds that construction by Alcatel Lucent has not yet begun, but will form part of the reporting process once work is under way.
Eassy project coordinator John Sihra previously said the undersea cable construction will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2008.
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