MAIN STREET DISPLAYS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

EIA NIGERIA                       PER GHANA                        EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

                 
Main Street Technologies is committed to the highest levels of environmental and social performance.  As part of project planning, a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was commissioned for the Main One Cable.   The EIA was carried out independently by the international consulting firm Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in partnership with Fugro Consultants Nigeria Limited (FCNL) and local resource specialists.

The environmental and social assessment process included screening, scoping, impact assessment and stakeholder consultation and disclosure.  In addition to complying with national requirements, the process considered international best practices and the guidance provided by international lenders specifically that of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards.

The outputs of the process were detailed reports submitted to national regulatory authorities for consideration: an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for Nigeria and a Preliminary Environmental Report (PER) for Ghana. The reports were submitted to the Federal Ministry of the Environment (FME) in Nigeria and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ghana in December 2008.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

 No Adverse Impacts
The EIA reports conclude that for the large part, project activities are expected to have no effect on the environmental or social environment.  This is mainly a result of the benign nature of the project and the associated activities as well as the result of the integration of preventative measures into the project design. 

The environmental assessment does indicate some potential for limited environmental and social impacts to habitats and flora; fauna; coastal processes and water quality; and human health and safety.  The potential is reduced through the implementation of standard mitigation measures and industry best practices.

Positive Benefits
On the other hand, the project has significant potential for positive benefits.  The availability of additional telecommunications capacity will have direct and indirect social and economic benefits for businesses, public institutions (e.g. government and schools), and individuals through:

• lower cost and improved performance of telecommunications service;
• improved educational opportunities through increase in access to information and education resources;
• development of a regional sense of community through greater equality of information sharing across geographical regions and across groups in society;
• economic benefits from the enhanced opportunities for new and small enterprises that may have previously been excluded due to high costs; and
• macro economic benefits of the potential expansion of technology-reliant industries in West Africa, such as information technology services and software development businesses.

Environmentally Friendly Conclusion
Given the low potential for negative impacts and the high potential for significant positive benefits, the project would be deemed to have a high level of environmental and social acceptability.