oAfrica http://www.oafrica.com Tracking African Internet Progress Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:03:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://oafrica.comhttp://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1302763850/default2_reasonably_small.jpgoAfrica.com OA News: June 9-17, 2013 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/bel1w6gZoys/ http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-17-13/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:05:57 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10264 Over the past week, we’ve found 91 stories of how ICT is changing Africa. Notable events come from Rwanda (4G service is in the works), and Tunisia (who hosted an online freedom conference), but interesting insights also come to us from The Gambia (Guardian article on the digital divide, Mauritania (Q&A with an activist blogger), and Sierra Leone (mobile computer lab).

Algeria

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

DR Congo

East Africa

Egypt

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Kenya

Libya

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Morocco

Mozambique

Namibia

Nigeria

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

South Africa

Swaziland

Tanzania

Tunisia

Uganda

West Africa

Zambia

Zimbabwe

General Africa

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-17-13/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-17-13/ Report stresses need for African public, private, and social cooperation to build ICT ecosystem http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/KSaYvj9Fzew/ http://www.oafrica.com/ict-policy/report-stresses-need-for-african-public-private-and-social-cooperation-to-build-ict-ecosystem/#comments Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:58:35 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10237 Dalberg Global Development Advisors, with support from Google, surveyed more than 1,300 businesses in Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria as part of the April 2013 “Impact of the Internet in Africa” report. Interviews with a variety of experts gave further meaning to the data. The hope is that the information contained in this report can give policymakers the tools to build thriving internet ecosystems. The growth trajectory of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa is on the right path, but countries still need to invest in core infrastructure and good usage conditions.

dalberg-map

Four nations represent SSA in this particular report. {Dalberg}

From the Executive Summary we can find the key points of the Dalberg report:

  • Despite constituting 15% of the global population, only 6% of the world’s Internet users live in SSA.
  • 70% of SME owners will hire new employees to leverage the internet as a means of growing business.
  • At least in the four surveyed nations, new organizations are using the Internet in more complex ways than organizations that have been online for longer periods.
  • Within the agriculture industry, access to information was listed as especially essential to business.
  • mHealth and eHealth initiatives have existed for some time now, but most solutions are still in pilot stage.
  • The education sector strongly values the internet but learning innovation outside the classroom needs better access to quality bandwidth.
  • All businesses can benefit from an online presence (for marketing needs) even if online payment is not common.
  • eCommerce is scarce in SSA, but mobile money is emerging in most nations and more than 60% of financial organizations see the Internet as essential.
  • Social media use should lead to more advanced internet use in the future, especially in terms of citizen engagement.
  • Now that first-time internet users are doing so via mobile, new ways of thinking about infrastructure requirements are needed.
  • High speed broadband is needed to realize the benefits of cloud computing (for SMEs in particular).

Recommendations focus on cooperation among all parts of society, with the government as the primary driver:

  • Public, private, and social sectors will need to set policy to build an ecosystem for innovation.
  • Investment in infrastructure is needed to allow innovation to flourish. Affordability and awareness of solutions cannot be leapfrogged.
  • Governments can play 3 primary roles: leadership (setting national ICT vision), governance (creation of legislation), and promotion of e-government services.
  • A balance of market forces and healthy competition is needed in the private sector.
  • The public sector should lead by example to support citizens’ entry to online.

Two key visuals:

The array of ICT solutions is impressive across all sectors:

dalberg-fig1-internet-solutions

Selected examples of Internet-enabled solutions driving impact on socioeconomic development. Click to enlarge. {Dalberg}

Conditions for use can only go so high without also strengthening core infrastructure. For example, no African country has a strong ICT core with low conditions for usage.

dalberg-fig3-conditions

Mapping of countries based on conditions for use and core infrastructure. {Dalberg}

Read the full 102-page report to find detailed profiles of agriculture, health, education, SMEs, finance, energy, and governance.

Source: “Impact of the Internet in Africa: Establishing conditions for success and catalysing inclusive growth in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal,” Dalberg, April 2013, http://www.impactoftheinternet.com.

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/ict-policy/report-stresses-need-for-african-public-private-and-social-cooperation-to-build-ict-ecosystem/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/ict-policy/report-stresses-need-for-african-public-private-and-social-cooperation-to-build-ict-ecosystem/ Industry report shines light on African undersea cables http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/oco0zGPQxNo/ http://www.oafrica.com/broadband/industry-report-shines-light-on-african-undersea-cables/#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:03:46 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10151 Last year, we came across first edition of the Submarine Telecoms Industry Report, a new resource for the latest in global undersea telecommunications news and outlooks. The annual report provides a snapshot of the state of the many sectors within the 150+ year-old industry. In addition, the publication helps others recognize how important undersea fibre optic communication cables are to the global economy.

Beautifully enough, the report is written at a level for everyone to understand. Quite a few sections mention the past, present, and future of African fibre optic cables. Notably:

  • Total lit capacity in Sub-Saharan African submarine cable systems has increased by 71% annually over the last five years. (59)
  • Challenges facing the African wholesale capacity market: limited fixed broadband deployment compared to other markets, slow growth of mobile Internet (still mostly 2G), strong control over terrestrial backhaul segments limits submarine capacity distribution. (60)
  • Proposed SSA cable systems: Atlantic Cable System-Africa, BRICS Cable, South Atlantic Cable System, South Atlantic Express, WASACE South. (61)
  • Additional opportunities for undersea investment exist where only one fibre optic undersea cable serves the markets of Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, and Sierra Leone. (73)

The outlook for African submarine cables is very favorable given the profitability of national telecommunications operators. The main challenge continues to be deploying local fibre networks that are able to connect international capacity to national backbones, and in turn, last mile fibre to the home.

Source: “Submarine Telecoms Industry Report, Issue 2,” Terabit Consulting, Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc., March 2013.

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/broadband/industry-report-shines-light-on-african-undersea-cables/feed/ 3 http://www.oafrica.com/broadband/industry-report-shines-light-on-african-undersea-cables/ E-learning report finds mobility in learning has ‘not yet eclipsed traditional ways of education delivery’ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/48BFH564Gh0/ http://www.oafrica.com/education/e-learning-report-finds-mobility-in-learning-has-not-yet-eclipsed-traditional-ways-of-education-delivery/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:04:02 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10172 An annual report on the African e-learning landscape was released during the 8th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, held in Windhoek, Namibia in May 2013. At the conference, an estimated 2,000 attendees were told of the need to redefine the education system. ICT in education needs a modern approach that values entrepreneurship and technical training just as much as political science.

The eLearning Africa Report 2013 – a survey of the experience and opinions of more than 400 professionals and practitioners from 42 African countries – covers successes and failures in how technology is being used to support African learning. In general, the report finds optimism for harnessing the potential of technology to improve the quality of African education.

Successes are met with challenges, however. Report editor Shafika Isaacs finds mobility in learning has “not yet eclipsed traditional ways of education delivery.” Mobile devices and laptops are increasingly used by teachers and students, but how they are meaningfully used is less clear. Tablets – perhaps the device best geared toward e-learning – are still used by a minority of classrooms. Little local content is created using indigenous languages. The commercialization of learning also poses its own challenges.

Summary of key report findings & data

Use of Digital Technologies:

  • Nearly all respondents use either a laptop, mobile phone, or stand-alone PC to support learning every day. Less than 10% use smartboards. 30% never use tablets. 31% still use radio.
  • 60% use social networking sites to support learning. 29% use VoIP. 22% use blogs.
  • 33% use learning technologies to expand access to learning opportunities. Only 8% do so to develop employability skills.
  • 71% find technology to have a positive influence on learning outcomes.

Constraints, Failure, and Change:

  • Constraints vary widely although lack of financial resources was cited 54% of the time. Lack of hard ware, bandwidth limitations, lack of political will, limited electricity, and lack of appropriate training ranged from 30%-40%.
  • Half of respondents have experienced failures in using technologies to support learning.
  • Mobile technology is expected to bring about the most change in how learning technology is applied. Social media, increased bandwidth, rise of MOOCs, and policy implementation are all essentially tied. No change in sentiment in this question has been noticed over the past five years.
  • The national government is seen as the most important agent of change in enhancing learning technologies. One-third as many respondents cited the private sector as being most important in this regard.

Key Themes:

  • Respondents were split between producing local digital content and not. Only half of respondents have definite access to local digital content.
  • 63% use content in indigenous languages. Only 16% create content in indigenous languages.

Conclusions:

  • The integration of digital technologies in African learning environments is still an emerging process.
  • The dominant views held by respondents are unsurprisingly positive and optimistic.
  • The conversations regarding the benefits of mobile technologies and social media could benefit from more sober reflection on the risks for learning that these new possibilities pose.
  • There is a stronger-than-ever sense of local ownership and entitlement.
  • It is encouraging to note the openness with which the conversation on failure in e-learning has been embraced by respondents.
  • The clear priorities for a post-2015 development agenda focus on education and ICT, with an emphasis on the technology-specific priorities of ICT in education, training and infrastructure.
  • Whilst reference is made to the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies and social media by respondents, less is known about how these are integrated in classroom practice, how they facilitate the learning experience and how they are enabling the emergence of new ways of learning.

Note: The eLearning Africa Report 2013 is a collaborative endeavor to enrich the conversation on ICT-enhanced learning in Africa, shaping policy and practice across the continent. Views of the less technologically-savvy such as parents, teachers and government officials have not been considered as strongly in this survey.

P.S. Reviews of eLA13 can be found at The Guardian (“Should Africa beware tech companies bearing gifts?“) and eLearning Africa (“The eLearning Africa Debate 2013: An invocation to innovation“). A photo gallery is also available.

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/education/e-learning-report-finds-mobility-in-learning-has-not-yet-eclipsed-traditional-ways-of-education-delivery/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/education/e-learning-report-finds-mobility-in-learning-has-not-yet-eclipsed-traditional-ways-of-education-delivery/ 4G competition heats up in Tanzania, Uganda http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/8Scq0b3Gz64/ http://www.oafrica.com/mobile/4g-competition-heats-up-in-tanzania-uganda/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:02:17 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10228 Smile Communications, with the support of Alcatel-Lucent, has been busy launching 4G LTE in East Africa this month. Just four weeks ago, the company, who has provided 4G service to businesses this year, launched commercial 4G LTE service in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Weeks later, Smile launched the same service in neighboring Kampala, Uganda.

Despite claims otherwise, Smile is not the first company to offer 4G LTE access in East Africa. MTN launched in Uganda in April and Tigo Tanzania launched in early May. Irene Charnley, Smile Group CEO, anticipates lower cost of internet as more users get on the network. Even if speeds do not live up to the hype, they should still be faster than what is currently available on 3G networks in the region. The service is still expensive though – a dongle plus 10gb data is USh 310,000 (USD 120).

As usual for an African 4G LTE launch, there has been substantial hype touting the benefits of 4G over other forms of mobile internet. Smile Uganda has been very active in promoting the new 4G service using the hashtag #SMILE4GLTE. A flurry of Tweets from launch attendees can be found, along with rather aggressive marketing from the mobile operator.

smile-uganda-launch-2013

June 2013 Smile Uganda 4G LTE launch. {UgoUganda}

Recent quotes include a handful of arguable statements:

  • “no buffering no breaks in connection” (June 5)
  • “unmatched download speeds” (June 10)
  • “we can guarantee a seamless connection that will blow your mind” (June 10)
  • “enjoy the only true quality & reliable super fast internet connection in town” (June 10)
  • “the average user in Uganda uses up to 6Mbps speeds on internet, what we’re offering at smile is more than 60Mbps using our #Smile4GLTE” (June 6)

Although the above claims are more marketing than 100% truth, Smile’s intentions appear good. The company believes that access to the best technology results in increased usage and demand for broadband, which in turn allows people to fulfill their potential. Cited is a desire to enable e-health, e-government, and e-learning endeavors which perform best with stable broadband instead of spotty 2G.

For a list of all African 4G deployments, check out our constantly-updated “All About African 4G LTE” post.

P.S. Smile is also working with Alcatel-Lucent to deploy an LTE network in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/mobile/4g-competition-heats-up-in-tanzania-uganda/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/mobile/4g-competition-heats-up-in-tanzania-uganda/ Video roundup: white space broadband, 4G for Tanzania, ICT in education, BRCK, and more http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/aszVI8BpSVQ/ http://www.oafrica.com/video/video-roundup-white-space-broadband-4g-for-tanzania-ict-in-education-brck-and-more/#comments Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:43:30 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10195 Governments across Africa are as focused as ever on strengthening ICT services. ICT for education and stronger national policies are just two areas in the spolight. At the same time, private companies are investing in mobile broadband. Microsoft is pushing white space broadband and Google is supporting similar projects.

Like last month, the majority of YouTube videos highlighting African ICT progress come from East Africa and Ghana, but this month also includes Namibia and Tunisia.
 

Microsoft 4Afrika “Mawingu” ou la connexion internet haut débit par l’énergie solaire

Microsoft is introducing rural broadband to parts of Africa using unoccupied white space frequencies. In this video, a Maasai village is connected to the internet for the first time.

 

ICT in Ghanaian Schools

An insight into the debate about the future of Ghanaian education. Should ICT be a priority when problems with basic literacy problems still persist?

 

Smile Communications Tanzania – the first true 4G LTE broadband in Africa

Smile is one of the first companies in Africa to offer 4G LTE service. This four minute video promotes the company and the new mobile speeds.

 

Tanzania calls on African countries to share knowledge on ICT development

Tanzania has called on African countries to share knowledge and experience on advances and trends in the information and communication sector to speed up development.

 

H.E. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister for Youth and ICT, Rwanda

The Rwandan ICT minister on the Transform Africa program, how ICTs are transforming lives in Rwanda, and the importance of ICT events.

 

Fred Matiang’i ICT secretary to tackle cyber crime in Kenya

Kenya’s ICT ministry is taking steps to prevent cyber crime from becoming a problem as more Kenyans go online.

 

Africa’s Mobile Millenium – Part 1

According to the GSM Association, Africa is the mobile frontier, with an estimated number of 649 million subscribers. In this video, four key African telecoms stakeholders debate the roles and opportunities in the mobile space on the continent.

 

eLearning Africa. Namibia, Windhoek 29-31. May 2013

Various clips from the 8th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training.

 

Developing Rwanda’s ICT Sector

In order to develop Rwanda’s ICT sector, the government introduced the National Fiber Backbone project in 2008, aimed at transforming Rwanda to a Knowledge economy, while providing adequate broadband communications services across the country. This video looks at this project, along with other pieces of Rwanda’s ICT (including transport and construction).

 

Innovation Tunisie – إبتكارتونس

Powered by Google, the ‘Innovation Tunisie‘ initiative is a framework to stimulate the Tunisian economy.

 

BRCK – your backup generator for the internet

The BRCK, a battery-powered internet access point, successfully met its funding goal on Kickstarter.

 

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/video/video-roundup-white-space-broadband-4g-for-tanzania-ict-in-education-brck-and-more/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/video/video-roundup-white-space-broadband-4g-for-tanzania-ict-in-education-brck-and-more/ Limited emphasis on CS in Nigerian secondary schools http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/fjpfLtI7Sv0/ http://www.oafrica.com/education/limited-emphasis-on-cs-in-nigerian-secondary-schools/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:16:29 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10166 Recently, we were asked about the prevalence of computer science training in Nigerian secondary schools. There undoubtedly is interest in CS at the secondary level, but actual teaching of this content is another story. There is little evidence supporting the notion that computer science courses, let alone computer training is common in Nigerian primary or secondary schools. Courses and degrees are offered at the university level, but to reach that point takes extra self-motivation.

Nigeria certainly needs a cohesive effort to promote computing in schools. Most of the news in 2013 involving children and IT is more about keeping youth safe online rather than teaching them actual skills. Such programs are necessary from a different angle, but teaching coding in school should be a priority too.

It’s not just Nigeria that lacks computer science programs in schools – coding is only taught to a select few high school students in the United States. Business leaders are hoping that will change, as there is a growing shortage of web developers and software engineers.

We’ve found the following facts on CS in Nigeria’s secondary schools:

Other thoughts are that heavy mobile access instead of desktops or laptops to code proves challenging. As does an emphasis on apps instead of more technical language. Also, perhaps massive open online courses (MOOCs) could help train on CS skills.

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/education/limited-emphasis-on-cs-in-nigerian-secondary-schools/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/education/limited-emphasis-on-cs-in-nigerian-secondary-schools/ MTN Swaziland: supporting education and…sponsoring elections? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/Jfb91wlSI5E/ http://www.oafrica.com/business/mtn-swaziland-supporting-education-and-sponsoring-elections/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:23:07 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10193 Two stories from the past couple of days paint very different pictures about the intentions of MTN Swaziland. One is of a company dedicated to improving primary education. The other is of a company involving itself in a nation’s controversial politics.

Showing commitment to education, the telecoms operator (and sole mobile provider in Swaziland) has donated three computers plus internet dongle (among health packs) to Emhlangeni Primary School. The annual social responsibility program “21 Days of Y’ello Care” gives back to every nation in which MTN operates. With that in mind, it appears the donation has more to do with international MTN rather than MTN Swaziland. Still, investment in education is sorely needed in Swaziland, and the donation, however small it may be, signals public-private cooperation.

Which leads us to news that MTN is sponsoring voter registration for Swaziland’s upcoming House of Assembly elections.

It is widely speculated that King Mswati III owns a substantial share (10%) in Swazi MTN. Moreover, MTN is the only mobile company operating in the country, giving it that much more clout over prospective voters.

MTN’s support for voter registration appears like a move to empower citizens. And perhaps it is. However, in the past, elections marketed as democratic have not fared as such in Swaziland. This month, pro-democracy groups have been trying to get people to boycott the September 2013 elections. The thought is that again, the result of the elections is already determined; voting is trival.

Critics of the move by MTN Swaziland fear the company is “pleasing the king” and that MTN is shunning subscribers who enjoy democracy. More extremely, the Mass Democratic Movement is calling to boycott MTN, although such a move is near-impossible given the telecoms monopoly it holds in Swaziland. The truth to MTN’s recent moves in Swaziland is sure to come out in the coming months, but any move to drive voter registration seems like a conflict of interest given the lack of a transparent and fully privatized telecommunications sector.

mtn-swazi

Also the main sponsor of national football. {MTN}

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/business/mtn-swaziland-supporting-education-and-sponsoring-elections/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/business/mtn-swaziland-supporting-education-and-sponsoring-elections/ OA News: May 27 – June 8, 2013 (Country-Specific) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/DlcVqG4mGcw/ http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13/#comments Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:12:39 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10176 Over the past two weeks, we’ve found no fewer than 134 stories of how ICT is changing Africa. Progress is happening everywhere (32 countries are represented), but the content is again heavy on Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Algeria

Angola

Botswana

Burundi

Cameroon

Congo

Cote D’Ivoire

East Africa

Egypt

Ethiopia

Ghana

Guinea

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Morocco

Namibia

Nigeria

Reunion

Rwanda

Senegal

South Africa

Swaziland

Tanzania

Togo

Tunisia

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13/ OA News: May 27 – June 8, 2013 (General Africa) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/onlineafrica/~3/tVEPq2p1AIA/ http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13-general/#comments Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:12:11 +0000 OA http://www.oafrica.com/?p=10178 The second part of this week’s African Internet news round-up consists of 44 stories that focus on African ICT trends. The following stories examine general themes that can be applied to almost every African country. Especially common were stories on Google’s growing presence across the continent.

General Africa

]]> http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13-general/feed/ 0 http://www.oafrica.com/news/06-08-13-general/