IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The latest (2006-2007) World Economic Forum Global Information Technology report shows that African countries are still lagging behind in terms of using opportunities offered by ICT for development and enhancing competitiveness.

The report, by South Africa-based telecommunications analysts BMI-TechKnowledge, which is represented in 40 African countries, said over 80 percent of African internet use is routed through satellite connections.

The third African Ministers e-Governance Forum opened on Wednesday in Kigali focussing on using ICT to enhance transparency and efficiency in pubic institutions.

The forum brings together ministers charged with science and technology from seven countries — Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Malawi, Botswana, Sierra Leone and Rwanda. Officiating at the opening of the forum, Rwanda Prime Minister Bernard Makuza urged participants to come up with mechanisms to address the existing skills gap in Africa.

The palm wine tapper had no choice than to pick his call atop the tree, which came from one of his customers in the nearby city of Kailahun District, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone.

The chief of media relations and public information of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Sanjay Acharya told Highway Africa News Agency (HANA), that the ICT industry takes the lead of those commitments.

This is according to the 2012 Global Information Technology Report, and it is a sentiment that is mirrored by MTN Business.

"South Africa has for many years been seen as the gateway to the African continent and while certainly in many cases it still is, other African countries are fast finding their own momentum," says Johnny Aucamp, GM of strategic relations and business development Africa at MTN Business. "In fact, looking at the latest 2012 Global Information Technology Report, one could go as far as to say that in many cases, Africa is fast-tracking the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to advance the progress of society and business."

The figures highlight the acceleration of growth in African mobile and internet markets outside of SA in less than a decade, says the International Telecommunications Union.

Growth in Nigeria has been particularly strong, but Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Cote d'Ivoire have also accounted for the change in distribution of mobile connections.

Andrew Rugege, the Director of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regional office for Africa, made the call Friday at the closure of a three-day annual ITU Regional Development Forum in Kigali.

"If we want to ensure equitable access to ICTs in our countries, we need to build broadband infrastructure that covers the whole country, connecting all villages coupled with affordable services," he said.

Convergence Partners has unveiled a new infrastructure fund dedicated to the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Africa, with a first close of $145 million.

The Convergence Partners Communications Infrastructure Fund (CPCIF) is targeting a final close of $250 million, and will target communications infrastructure and related services and technologies across sub-Saharan Africa.

Ahmed Ibrahim Wakea Allah is a farmer in Sudan. By taking part in an e-agriculture project, he quadrupled his wheat yield in just one year and went from making a loss of 8000 Sudanese pounds in the 2013/14 season to a profit of 80 000 Sudanese pounds in 2014/15. E-agriculture is an emerging field that sees agricultural services, technology dissemination, information and communication delivered or enhanced through the internet of things (IoT).

Combing farming and ICT yields positive results

Agriculture is strategically important in supporting the livelihoods of the majority of the rural population in Africa and closer to home in South Africa. The growth of e-agriculture has the potential to accelerate agriculture and rural development, promote food security and reduce rural poverty in developing markets. - See more at: http://www.itwebafrica.com/home-page/opinion/235543-opinion-e-agriculture-how-ict-is-taking-farming-into-the-future#sthash.aNqOTmlm.dpuf

This was highlighted at the start of the three-day '3rd annual African e-government Forum 2009' that is taking place in Kigali since yesterday.

Washington. Shimmering new call centres, the rapid explosion of mobile phones and Internet connections today mark the landscape of many African cities—where improved information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is helping connect urban dwellers to global networks.

International Telecommunications Union - ITU secretary general Hamadoun Toure said limited development in infrastructure especially energy development and distribution on the African continent is hindering the fast growth in the telecommunications sector.

Officially opening the 6th Information Technologies Africa 2011 Africa Conference and Exhibition at GICC yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Johnnie Swartz, said development of the ICT sector is of outmost importance and could facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

It is early morning in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. The traffic jam along Ngong Road, one of the city’s main feeder roads, stretches for kilometres as matatus (taxis), buses and cars try to make their way into the central business district. At the top floor of Bishop Magua Centre complex, sitting just off Ngong Road, Antony Njoroge is already at work, typing away at his computer, a mug of freshly brewed coffee beside him. He is the founder of RevWeb, a local software development company.

The 17200km marine cable, which is to be managed by a consortium of 12 companies, stretches from South Africa to the UK linking 14 countries: South Africa, Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, Portugal and the UK.

The consortium said in a statement the operation offered the highest capacity sub-marine cable system through sub-Saharan Africa and would be the first direct access to global communication networks for Namibia, DRC, Togo and Republic of Congo.

"The expectations of the people on the Continent are continuously growing and it is high time we moved away from the conference declarations and other exhortations to the critical area of implementation," he said.

Leadership, ICT infrastructure for development, ICT infrastructure, M-Applications and ICT in business were some of the issues that were discussed at the conference.

It was also observed that the translation of policy to meet the demands of ICT and leadership is often problematic due to obstacles that can be attributed to human capacity, financial resources, institutional arrangements, political will and appropriate leadership.

Addressing the ICT Indaba in Cape Town, he said ICTs could be used to transform the African economy into a knowledge-based one.

“... We must remain aware that the biggest commodity in the world today is knowledge, and the ability to generate, access, and distribute knowledge have become key determinants for a higher developmental trajectory for any nation.”