Africa’s Broadband Revolution

Can broadband internet access reach 1/3 of all Africans by 2012, despite the fact that only 4 out of 100 Africans currently use the Internet? This is a major goal set out by the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. The two-day conference, featuring leaders from the World Bank, World Health Organization, United Nations, as well as from technology giants like Intel, seeks financial support for improving technology and telecommunications throughout Africa, with reducing barriers to broadband access as a key objective. Although such barriers have resulted in less than 1% broadband penetration throughout Africa, there is reason for optimism. According to Dr. Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union, “Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally—twice the global average over the past three years.” To continue this trend, leaders at the conference see partnerships between states and the private sector as critical, partnerships that can build on the billions of dollars already invested in telecommunications infrastructure across the continent. To read further, see this article in the BBC. Also, to find out more about Connect Africa, click here.