Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Advantage Africa?
By Thrishni Subramoney in Cairo
Competition between market players and independent communications regulation
are the keys to Africa's IT castle. That was the message for delegates at
the opening forum session of ITU Telecom Africa 2004.
However, just as crucial a point for the keynote speakers – ITU Secretary
General Yoshio Utsumi, Ugandan Minister of Works, Housing and
Communications, John Nasasira and Tunisia's Transport and Technology
Minister, Moutasser Ouaili – seemed to be the question of just how
advantaged Africa really is.
Armed with a statistics-laden slide presentation, Utsumi pushed the positive
line about African ICT growth, pointing to the phenomenal growth of mobile
networks in region (the cellphone market in Africa has grown by 1000 percent
in the last five years according to the latest ITU statistics).
"The ICT sector in Africa is healthier than ever before," he stressed, "It
is the fastest growing market for the Internet and mobile phones."
Utsumi says the "building blocks" for Africa's growth has been the increase
in competition between telecommunication service providers and the
mushrooming of independent regulators in the region. ITU reports say that
since 1993, the number of countries that have a competitive
telecommunications market has almost tripled, from 16 to 41.
Nasasira - who took the stage after Utsumi - was not as glowing in his
analysis. He acknowledged the growth in the sector, but he pointed out that
it was far too early to be jubilant.
"I agree with the Secretary-General, that much has been done in Africa, but
let's not forget the challenges and constraints we still face. More than 50
percent of Africans have never made a phone call," he said.
Nasasira says there has to be a number of changes on the continent before Africa can make the best of its apparent "advantage". The changes included social and cultural reforms to ensure that all Africans regardless of race, gender or ethnicity have ICT skills.
He stressed that the biggest problem in Africa was a lack of affordable resources. "Over 50 percent of people on the continent earn less than one dollar a day and 40 percent are unemployed," he said.
Nevertheless, Nasasira still believes in the importance of the burgeoning mobile networks on the continent. He says that when he took up office as a minister in Uganda in 1999, he often faced criticism about the fact that there were more mobile connections than fixed line connections in the country.
"I was told this like I should feel guilty," he laughed, "But mobile phones
are appropriate for the way we live in scattered villages and fixed lines
are far more costly in terms of infrastructure."
Tunisia's Transport and Technology Minister, Moutasser Ouaili devoted his
keynote address to the upcoming WSIS conference in Tunisia. Speaking in
Arabic, (he had to start a few minutes late due to a shortage of translation
headphones for the audience) he expressed the hope that the Tunisian phase
of WSIS would be as well-supported as the Geneva one.
"We need to concert our efforts to integrate the two phases and we need
unity in our endeavors," he said.
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By Thrishni Subramoney in Cairo
Competition between market players and independent communications regulation
are the keys to Africa's IT castle. That was the message for delegates at
the opening forum session of ITU Telecom Africa 2004.
However, just as crucial a point for the keynote speakers – ITU Secretary
General Yoshio Utsumi, Ugandan Minister of Works, Housing and
Communications, John Nasasira and Tunisia's Transport and Technology
Minister, Moutasser Ouaili – seemed to be the question of just how
advantaged Africa really is.
Armed with a statistics-laden slide presentation, Utsumi pushed the positive
line about African ICT growth, pointing to the phenomenal growth of mobile
networks in region (the cellphone market in Africa has grown by 1000 percent
in the last five years according to the latest ITU statistics).
"The ICT sector in Africa is healthier than ever before," he stressed, "It
is the fastest growing market for the Internet and mobile phones."
Utsumi says the "building blocks" for Africa's growth has been the increase
in competition between telecommunication service providers and the
mushrooming of independent regulators in the region. ITU reports say that
since 1993, the number of countries that have a competitive
telecommunications market has almost tripled, from 16 to 41.
Nasasira - who took the stage after Utsumi - was not as glowing in his
analysis. He acknowledged the growth in the sector, but he pointed out that
it was far too early to be jubilant.
"I agree with the Secretary-General, that much has been done in Africa, but
let's not forget the challenges and constraints we still face. More than 50
percent of Africans have never made a phone call," he said.
Nasasira says there has to be a number of changes on the continent before Africa can make the best of its apparent "advantage". The changes included social and cultural reforms to ensure that all Africans regardless of race, gender or ethnicity have ICT skills.
He stressed that the biggest problem in Africa was a lack of affordable resources. "Over 50 percent of people on the continent earn less than one dollar a day and 40 percent are unemployed," he said.
Nevertheless, Nasasira still believes in the importance of the burgeoning mobile networks on the continent. He says that when he took up office as a minister in Uganda in 1999, he often faced criticism about the fact that there were more mobile connections than fixed line connections in the country.
"I was told this like I should feel guilty," he laughed, "But mobile phones
are appropriate for the way we live in scattered villages and fixed lines
are far more costly in terms of infrastructure."
Tunisia's Transport and Technology Minister, Moutasser Ouaili devoted his
keynote address to the upcoming WSIS conference in Tunisia. Speaking in
Arabic, (he had to start a few minutes late due to a shortage of translation
headphones for the audience) he expressed the hope that the Tunisian phase
of WSIS would be as well-supported as the Geneva one.
"We need to concert our efforts to integrate the two phases and we need
unity in our endeavors," he said.
Egypt and South Africa link up for telecoms R&DCAIRO: Tuesday, 2nd May. 2004
By Guy Berger
Highway Africa News Agency
Countries at the tips of South and North of Africa linked up yesterday (1 May) with a memorandum of co-operation between two university-based technology research centres based in South Africa and Egypt.
The partnership is between telecoms-related institutes attached to the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, and Cairo University (CU). The signing of the memorandum is timed to coincide with the Africa Telecom conference taking place in the Egyptian capital.
As a result of the agreement, there will be visits, video-conferences and joint projects to pool the power of the two bodies in developing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Africa.
South Africa’s Telkom and Alcatel are the driving forces behind UKZN’s eight-year-old Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Wireless Radio Technologies which signed the agreement for the South African side.
The Egyptian partner is the Digital Communications System Centre of Excellence, which is based within CU’s Development Research and Social Technology Planning Centre - a 25-year-old facility that does market-driven research and consultancy.
At a signing ceremony in Cairo, UKZN’s CoE head Prof Fambirai Takawiri said his 40 post-graduate students were researching what he calls “4th generation” wireless Internet. These would allow speeds of 100 megabits a second, compared to 3rd generation rates of 2mb a second.
His counterpart in Cairo, Prof Osman Lofty El Sayed, said that the start of the partnership was an important example of South-South co-operation. “It brings universities into development issues and co-operation with industry,” he added.
Telkom’s Chief Technology Officer, Reuben September, told the occasion that the South African centre was one of 14 supported by Telkom. “We need solutions on a continental scale,” he said. The partnership symbolised north and southern Africa wrapping arms around a continent that shared similar problems. “We need our collective power and a synergistic approach to resolve these problems,” he said.
Referring to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), September said that this continental initiative would not succeed if it stayed only with governments. It needed levels such as the partnership evident in the memorandum of co-operation.
Alcatel SA CEO Thoko Mokgosi said her company’s involvement with the South African CoE was driven by the quest for African technology solutions and to build skills for the sector. Her company has contributed R3m to the UKZN centre and would continue to support it.
“What’s in it for Alcatel?” she asked. “The answer is that if you don’t help build solutions and skills, you may as well be outside the industry.”
Highway Africa reports from Cairo are made possible with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Editorial decisions are solely the responsibility of Highway Africa.
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By Guy Berger
Highway Africa News Agency
Countries at the tips of South and North of Africa linked up yesterday (1 May) with a memorandum of co-operation between two university-based technology research centres based in South Africa and Egypt.
The partnership is between telecoms-related institutes attached to the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, and Cairo University (CU). The signing of the memorandum is timed to coincide with the Africa Telecom conference taking place in the Egyptian capital.
As a result of the agreement, there will be visits, video-conferences and joint projects to pool the power of the two bodies in developing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Africa.
South Africa’s Telkom and Alcatel are the driving forces behind UKZN’s eight-year-old Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Wireless Radio Technologies which signed the agreement for the South African side.
The Egyptian partner is the Digital Communications System Centre of Excellence, which is based within CU’s Development Research and Social Technology Planning Centre - a 25-year-old facility that does market-driven research and consultancy.
At a signing ceremony in Cairo, UKZN’s CoE head Prof Fambirai Takawiri said his 40 post-graduate students were researching what he calls “4th generation” wireless Internet. These would allow speeds of 100 megabits a second, compared to 3rd generation rates of 2mb a second.
His counterpart in Cairo, Prof Osman Lofty El Sayed, said that the start of the partnership was an important example of South-South co-operation. “It brings universities into development issues and co-operation with industry,” he added.
Telkom’s Chief Technology Officer, Reuben September, told the occasion that the South African centre was one of 14 supported by Telkom. “We need solutions on a continental scale,” he said. The partnership symbolised north and southern Africa wrapping arms around a continent that shared similar problems. “We need our collective power and a synergistic approach to resolve these problems,” he said.
Referring to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), September said that this continental initiative would not succeed if it stayed only with governments. It needed levels such as the partnership evident in the memorandum of co-operation.
Alcatel SA CEO Thoko Mokgosi said her company’s involvement with the South African CoE was driven by the quest for African technology solutions and to build skills for the sector. Her company has contributed R3m to the UKZN centre and would continue to support it.
“What’s in it for Alcatel?” she asked. “The answer is that if you don’t help build solutions and skills, you may as well be outside the industry.”
Highway Africa reports from Cairo are made possible with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Editorial decisions are solely the responsibility of Highway Africa.
Afrilinks facts and figures
CAIRO: Monday, 4th May. 2004
By Guy Berger
Highway Africa News Agency
Teledensity:
Africa’s island states - Reunion and Seychelles top Africa’s list of telephone subscribers, with near universal service for their citizens. South Africa and Botswana each score four lines for every ten its inhabitants. Bottom of the list are countries like Central African Republic and Niger with one for every two or three hundred residents
Cost of a local SMS in US$:
Mauritius: 0.02
Zimbabwe: 0.02
Botswana: 0.03
Uganda: 0.06
South Africa: 0.08
Nigeria: 0.12
Sao Tome and Recipe: 0.24
Telecoms revenue per subscriber in US$:
Uganda: 250
South Africa: 288
Zimbabwe: 356
Nigeria: 527
Cameroon: 4086
Internet users per 1000 inhabitants:
Reunion: 20.52
Seychelles: 14.52
South Africa: 6.82
Tunisia: 6.37
Zimbabwe: 4.30
Egypt: 3.85
Botswana: 3.49
Nigeria: 0.61
Cameroon: 0.38
Sierra Leone: 0.16
Central African Republic: 0.13
Liberia: 0.03
Costs of 20 hours Internet:
Sierra Leone: 12.01
Botswana: 27.01
South Africa: 33.33
Angola: 78.81
Congo; 121.22
Gabon: 121.95
Tanzania: 117.00
Source: ITU report: African Telecommunications Indicators, 2004.
Highway Africa reports from Cairo are made possible with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Editorial decisions are solely the responsibility of Highway Africa.
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CAIRO: Monday, 4th May. 2004
By Guy Berger
Highway Africa News Agency
Teledensity:
Africa’s island states - Reunion and Seychelles top Africa’s list of telephone subscribers, with near universal service for their citizens. South Africa and Botswana each score four lines for every ten its inhabitants. Bottom of the list are countries like Central African Republic and Niger with one for every two or three hundred residents
Cost of a local SMS in US$:
Mauritius: 0.02
Zimbabwe: 0.02
Botswana: 0.03
Uganda: 0.06
South Africa: 0.08
Nigeria: 0.12
Sao Tome and Recipe: 0.24
Telecoms revenue per subscriber in US$:
Uganda: 250
South Africa: 288
Zimbabwe: 356
Nigeria: 527
Cameroon: 4086
Internet users per 1000 inhabitants:
Reunion: 20.52
Seychelles: 14.52
South Africa: 6.82
Tunisia: 6.37
Zimbabwe: 4.30
Egypt: 3.85
Botswana: 3.49
Nigeria: 0.61
Cameroon: 0.38
Sierra Leone: 0.16
Central African Republic: 0.13
Liberia: 0.03
Costs of 20 hours Internet:
Sierra Leone: 12.01
Botswana: 27.01
South Africa: 33.33
Angola: 78.81
Congo; 121.22
Gabon: 121.95
Tanzania: 117.00
Source: ITU report: African Telecommunications Indicators, 2004.
Highway Africa reports from Cairo are made possible with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Editorial decisions are solely the responsibility of Highway Africa.
A new era of leaders has begun
By Haru Mutasa in Cairo
They stood up, the future Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) leaders of Africa, garbed in their exquisite national dress beaming with pride.
One by one their faces lit up as they were briefed of their mission by leading figures at the sixth International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt.
"You have to use your time wisely here and build a network of young Africans," they were advised by Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif, "you will become the champions of ICT use in Africa. If Africa has any chance of developing at all it will be through its most important asset – it's young people."
On a continent where most people have never made a phone call in their lives, the tertiary level students were given the task of finding ways of bringing ICTs to the continent to improve access to information and much needed development.
"It is up to you to find ways to do this," said Nazif, "Why should Africa always wait for the West? Through ICTs we have the chance to not only be receivers of information but the senders as well. You all have ideas. Now put those ideas together and present them in a business model that works."
A mammoth task for anyone brave enough to accept the challenge, but the wheel is already turning and has been since the youth forum's inception three years ago in Johannesburg South Africa where a declaration was drawn up and adopted.
Using previous documents and action plans, a declaration will be drawn up and presented to delegates at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia next year.
A young man from Mali leans forward and whispers to his colleague, "You think we can do this?" The girl smiles sheepishly, nods her head and replies, "Why not? We are here are we not, that has to mean something. It's a good sign."
With this determination perhaps one day the African Youth Forum will become more than just an experiment – but a vibrant tradition that will launch Africa into a new era of ICT development on the continent.
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By Haru Mutasa in Cairo
They stood up, the future Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) leaders of Africa, garbed in their exquisite national dress beaming with pride.
One by one their faces lit up as they were briefed of their mission by leading figures at the sixth International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt.
"You have to use your time wisely here and build a network of young Africans," they were advised by Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif, "you will become the champions of ICT use in Africa. If Africa has any chance of developing at all it will be through its most important asset – it's young people."
On a continent where most people have never made a phone call in their lives, the tertiary level students were given the task of finding ways of bringing ICTs to the continent to improve access to information and much needed development.
"It is up to you to find ways to do this," said Nazif, "Why should Africa always wait for the West? Through ICTs we have the chance to not only be receivers of information but the senders as well. You all have ideas. Now put those ideas together and present them in a business model that works."
A mammoth task for anyone brave enough to accept the challenge, but the wheel is already turning and has been since the youth forum's inception three years ago in Johannesburg South Africa where a declaration was drawn up and adopted.
Using previous documents and action plans, a declaration will be drawn up and presented to delegates at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia next year.
A young man from Mali leans forward and whispers to his colleague, "You think we can do this?" The girl smiles sheepishly, nods her head and replies, "Why not? We are here are we not, that has to mean something. It's a good sign."
With this determination perhaps one day the African Youth Forum will become more than just an experiment – but a vibrant tradition that will launch Africa into a new era of ICT development on the continent.
=======================================
Telecom Africa 2004 reaching the unreached
By Haru Mutasa
Ten years ago a Japanese man, on his first visit to Egypt, asked himself why there were boomerangs in Pharaoh Tutankhamen's collection at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The question puzzled him so much that when he returned to Japan he perused encyclopedias for the answer to his question but found none.
A couple of years later, that same man, using a popular search engine on the computer, looked up the answer to his question and was left more than pleasantly surprised. "The boomerang is not unique to Australia," he said, "It was used in several parts of Africa and even India back then."
That man was Yoshio Utsumi, the current International Telecommunications Union (ITU) secretary general. Addressing a large delegation at the official opening of sixth ITU Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt today, Utsumi hammered home the message that "Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) has the potential to forever change the whole world if we take the right course of action".
This was the rationale behind the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December last year - a rationale that will be carried forward to the second phase in Tunisia next year and is presently being implemented at the conference in Cairo.
The Cairo conference showcases technology that can be used to improve access to African people while the forums and debates allow delegates to discuss amongst themselves possible projects to achieve this goal.
Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif echoed Utsumi and called on delegates at the conference to strive for an e-enabled and e-knowledgeable African society.
"Problems in Africa are severe and difficult to overcome but success stories are evident," he said, "We must support Africa's development through active participation. All African countries are qualified to reach this goal. But to reach it we need to work together to turn the digital gap is turning into a digital opportunity."
The two delegates, along with Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Atef Ebeid, officially celebrated the launch of the ITU Telecom Africa by signing a beautifully created papyrus parchment – an ancient Egyptian paper still used in some sectors of society today. The document announced the opening of the conference and wishes for its success. "Our countries are similar, our people are similar and so are our challenges," said the Prime Minister, "the future looks promising, let's make it a reality."
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By Haru Mutasa
Ten years ago a Japanese man, on his first visit to Egypt, asked himself why there were boomerangs in Pharaoh Tutankhamen's collection at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The question puzzled him so much that when he returned to Japan he perused encyclopedias for the answer to his question but found none.
A couple of years later, that same man, using a popular search engine on the computer, looked up the answer to his question and was left more than pleasantly surprised. "The boomerang is not unique to Australia," he said, "It was used in several parts of Africa and even India back then."
That man was Yoshio Utsumi, the current International Telecommunications Union (ITU) secretary general. Addressing a large delegation at the official opening of sixth ITU Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt today, Utsumi hammered home the message that "Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) has the potential to forever change the whole world if we take the right course of action".
This was the rationale behind the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December last year - a rationale that will be carried forward to the second phase in Tunisia next year and is presently being implemented at the conference in Cairo.
The Cairo conference showcases technology that can be used to improve access to African people while the forums and debates allow delegates to discuss amongst themselves possible projects to achieve this goal.
Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif echoed Utsumi and called on delegates at the conference to strive for an e-enabled and e-knowledgeable African society.
"Problems in Africa are severe and difficult to overcome but success stories are evident," he said, "We must support Africa's development through active participation. All African countries are qualified to reach this goal. But to reach it we need to work together to turn the digital gap is turning into a digital opportunity."
The two delegates, along with Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Atef Ebeid, officially celebrated the launch of the ITU Telecom Africa by signing a beautifully created papyrus parchment – an ancient Egyptian paper still used in some sectors of society today. The document announced the opening of the conference and wishes for its success. "Our countries are similar, our people are similar and so are our challenges," said the Prime Minister, "the future looks promising, let's make it a reality."
