Information and Communication Technologies in Africa

African leaders are preparing to meet in Kigali, Rwanda to share ideas on how to improve and further develop information and communication technologies on the continent, particularly the Internet and broadband connectivity so that information can be sent faster across the continent.

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Hello and welcome to this edition of Africa Express here on China Radio International. I'm your host, Wei Tong.

Our previous episode talks about Africa are facing serious challenges in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. But in the area of information and communication technologies, the continent is making impressive progress.

Right now, African leaders are preparing to meet in Kigali, Rwanda this month to share ideas on how to improve and further develop information and communication technologies on the continent, particularly the Internet and broadband connectivity so that information can be sent faster across the continent.

The man leading United Nations efforts in this field is Dr. Hamadoun Toure, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha caught up with him after he spoke with reporters about the Connect Africa Initiative.

TOURE: Well we have launched the "Connect the World" series in May 2007 and we want to start on a regional basis with Africa. We are launching on 29 and 30 October this year the Summit in Kigali, bringing together the political leaders and the industry leaders to work together to see how concretely we can implement infrastructure, massive infrastructure projects on the African continent.

MBATHA: And how would you characterize the situation of information and communication technologies on the African continent? Does it look good?

TOURE: Well first of all let me tell you, our objective here is to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Unless we meet them in the ICT field, we are not going to meet them in the other fields. The situation in Africa is such a way that it's the only continent that has been leading in terms of growth over the past three years, 50 to 400 growth annually in some countries. So, for the first time we have Africa leading in economic indicators. That's good news. All the growth I am mentioning is the growth in the mobile sector generally. How can we implement that in the Internet and broadband areas as well in order to have real growth? Therefore we do have a very good sound environment in Africa today. How do we attract more investors, more private sectors to do business, meaningful business? We are not talking about charity. No one will come out of poverty through charity. We want meaningful businesses that will create wealth, will create jobs.

MBATHA: When one talks about information and communication technologies usually one thinks about just communicating with each other or passing on information, cell phones. How is this linked with economic development?

TOURE: Well you know that, first of all communicating is a basic human right. The moment you are born you are communicating with people. Now we have seen that communication is a tool also for all sectors of the economy, from a saleswoman of vegetables in a local market to an industry leader. All of them can use communication as a tool for development. In the past, what was the alternative to communication? For a woman selling vegetables in a market, when her supplies ran out, she would close her little shop and travel by car or for two hours by bus and come back. Now you find her with her mobile phone she will just make a phone call when her supply is low and she will continue to sell during that time. She is making more money and she is more productive. And this can be applied to any other sector of economy.

MBATHA: I understand that on the African continent mobile phones are widespread and more popular. Tell me about that.

TOURE: Well, the Chairman of Intel, Craig Barret, was just telling us that he was last week in Tanzania and on Mount Kilimanjaro and his cell phone was working there. And this is something you don't have in some European or some U.S. rural areas as well. Therefore, it's very important to know that mobile phones have been very much widespread on the African continent. We need to increase the penetration. It is almost sixty per cent today, in terms of geographic coverage, but it is not reflected in the number of the population that is also accessing. So there is large room for growth as well. But beyond the mobile phone you need to be sure that you are moving to Internet and broadband as well access.

MBATHA: From what you are saying it seems that Africa is doing well in this area of information and communication technologies. Correct me if I am wrong.

TOURE: You are very right and I am very optimistic. We can meet the Millennium Development Goals in the ICT by 2012 if we do the right thing, if we set up the right regulatory environment, if we attract investment, the business leaders, if we attract private sector, if we allow them to make profit and to re-invest those profits. Therefore it's up to us be sure that we create the real level playing field for objective competition and that way convert into real growth for the continent.
That was Dr. Hamadoun Toure, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union talking to UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha.