C. Africa: $215m for internet development

  1. Posted on Wednesday 21 October 2009 - 11:05
    Mforgham
    Image of Mforgham
    Solomon Tembang Mforgham, AfricaNews reporter in Limbe, Cameroon
    Several Central African countries will benefit from a $215 million World Bank backbone programme to bring reliable, high-speed, low-cost internet access to the region for the first time. It said recently that Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic will take part in the initial $26.2 million phase.
    african_acces_langa_internet_shop
    Meanwhile, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sudan can also participate in the programme.

    The 10-year programme is being supported through a partnership between the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank.

    The Director of Global Information and Communications Technologies, Mohsen Khalil, said in a statement that "Ultimately, our goal is to develop regional and national broadband backbones and significantly reduce the cost of ICT services in Central Africa."

    In Africa, there are 10 undersea cables either under construction or in the planning stages, which could push down international bandwidth rates and increase the number of broadband users.

    Broadband to grow

    U.S.-based advisory firm AfricaNext Investment Research expects Africa's broadband market to grow more than fourfold in five years to 12.7 million users from 2.7 million in 2007.

    This growth will be facilitated by new submarine cables and national networks due to launch this year and next, and the emergence of wireless technology such as EVDO and WiMax.

    But Africa's fixed-line operators are already seeing a lot of customers moving to mobile networks due to lower prices and, according to telecoms advisory firm Delta Partners, this will propel mobile broadband to explode in the continent.

    Currently, 1 gigabyte of international connectivity in Africa is $15-$30 depending on the country, Delta Partners said.

    Meanwhile, the International Telecommunication Union said mobile broadband penetration rates still low in many African countries and other developing nations.

    Despite being the fastest-growing telecoms market in the world, Africa's broadband growth has been hamstrung by costly international bandwidth and patchy national infrastructure, impeding development and deterring investors.

Latest News

  1. Kenya launches universal HPV vaccine access t…17/05As the world celebrates the Cervical Cancer Week, Kenya has taken a leap of faith by launching universal distribution of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) v…
  2. Malawi Electoral body appeals for ethical…17/05The Malawi Electoral Commission has challenged the media to follow ethical standards in the coverage of the 2014 tripartite elections to avoid fueling…
  3. Amplats to cut 6,000 jobs in South Africa10/05Top global platinum producer Anglo American Platinum announced on Friday that it will cut 6,000 jobs at its South African operations, in a move that r…
  4. Kofi Annan: Africa plundered by secret mining…10/05Tax avoidance, secret mining deals and financial transfers are depriving Africa of the benefits of its resources boom, ex-UN chief Kofi Annan has…
  5. Bomb blasts rock Libyan city of Benghazi10/05A bomb has exploded outside the a police station in the Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, Reuters news agency reports.
  6. Kenya calls on UN to drop Kenyatta trials10/05Kenya has written to the UN Security Council seeking to scrap the international crimes against humanity trials for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Vi…
  7. Zanu PF Spruces up Voter Victimization…02/05Zanu PF has perfected its intimidation and coercive electoral machinery ahead of Zimbabwe’s next elections, an investigative visit to Mutoko…
  8. Africa Oil & Gas, Finance & Investment…02/05AME Trade Ltd are happy to announce the launch of the Africa Oil & Gas, Finance & Investment Forum (http://www.aogfi.com). This event is suppo…
  9. Cameroon: Anti-poaching Operations Intensified02/05Wildlife authorities in Cameroon arrested 20 suspects and confiscated 45 guns during a 10-day anti-poaching operation that targeted elephant poachers …
  10. Mugabe warns against foreign interference19/04Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said he will not accept foreign interference during elections later this year.
  11. Cameroonian Scholar Wins 2013 'African He…19/04Internationally-recognised anthropologist, University of Cape Town's, UCT, Prof. Francis Beng Nyamnjoh was named African Hero of the Year for 201…
  12. SAA receives most on-time airline in the world…19/04South African Airways (SAA) has received two major endorsements from respected industry experts. In the first, SAA topped the list of the most on-time…
  13. Action Plan Launched to end preventable deaths…12/04UNICEF and the WHO have launched a new action plan tackling for the first time two of the three biggest killer diseases of children under five in Afri…
  14. Eurochannel picks EUTELSAT 16A to extend reach…12/04The range of channels broadcasting across sub-Saharan Africa via the EUTELSAT 16A satellite further increased today with the launch of Eurochannel, th…
  15. Madonna in bitter war of words with Malawi aft…12/04Pop star Madonna is causing a commotion in Malawi, days after her return from a goodwill trip to the nation. The singer is in a bitter feud with the …
News archive