OA News: January 17-23, 2012
January 23, 2012 » NewsNo Comment
Egypt
- Flat6Labs graduates five Egyptian technology startups {The Daily News Egypt}
- Egyptian cyber activist and former Google executive Wael Ghonim talks to Steve Inskeep about his new book Revolution 2.0, which chronicles his role, and that of social media, in toppling the regime of Hosni Mubarak:
Social Media Advances ‘Revolution’ In Egypt {NPR}
Gabon
- Internet costs in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon have not decreased despite investment in other areas of society:
We’re finally ready, Nations Cup say Guinea and Gabon {Vanguard}
Ghana
- On the potential of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra to produce successful startups:
Ghana: Future Hub of Internet Startups {Internet Evolution} - The National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana has completed a project agreement with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) to assist with the development of its 5-year Strategic Plan:
Ghana’s NCA Completes Strategic Plan {GBI Portal} - Airtel upgrades 3.5G service to 3.75G {The Chronicle}
Kenya
- Dozens of Kindles have been distributed to schools in the Rift Valley:
Longhorn launches project to supply learners with e-readers {Business Daily} - Many fifty and sixty year-olds are communicating with their children using Facebook:
Social Media Craze Bites the Elderly in Kenya {Daily Nation via allAfrica.com} - World Bank lauds Kenya ICT, telecom sectors {IT News Africa}
Mali
- Boukary Konate is currently cruising up the Niger river aboard a traditional Malian barge, docking every day in a new village to train school children and villagers to use the Internet:
Segou Villages: Cruising the River Niger for Internet Literacy {RisingVoices}
Mauritius
- A broadband policy that aims to provide all housholds with 100 Mbit/s connections by 2020 has been approved by the Council of Ministers:
Broadband policy 2012-2020 {Grand Baie}
Morocco
- The telecommunications sector in Morocco is one of the most competitive markets in Africa and is one of the most advanced in terms of innovation:
Telecoms: le Maroc, pionnier africain {Le Soir}
Mozambique
Nigeria
- Cost of Internet Access in Nigeria January 2012 {Nigeria Technology Guide}
- Opinion:
Has traditional media in Nigeria lost steam to social media? {The Nation}
Rwanda
- Social media is bringing Rwandans together. The President, Ministers, and police all use the medium:
Why Locals Love Twitter, Facebook {The New Times via allAfrica.com}
South Africa
- Woza Online, which Google launched with help from South African government researchers and cash from mobile phone company Vodacom, offers free domain names with South Africa’s co.za tag for the first 10,000 applicants:
Google makes websites easy for small S.African businesses, hopes to get 10,000 wired in year {} - SA has a shortage of skilled workers in ICT {IT News Africa}
- 8+ ways social media is influencing the ANC {memeburn}
- The Western Cape provincial government and the City of Cape Town have now set themselves targets to have citizens in every town and village in the province get access to affordable broadband infrastructure by 2030:
Affordable broadband on cards for rural SA {IOL}
Tunisia
- Barriers between stakeholders and constraints for economic development are giving way to converging media and convergent regulators:
Reshaping Tunisian Internet Model {TEDxENSI via SlideShare}
Uganda
- Internet access has boomed, especially among the country’s growing middle class:
Online Africa: how Internet is changing Ugandan business {The New Age}
Zambia
- The Zambian government is excited for Airtel’s “3.75G” services:
State cites 3G as driver of ICT {Zambia Daily Mail} - Zamtel’s broadband subscriber base has grown from 100 or so subscribers at the beginning of the year to over 4,000:
Zamtel’s mobile subscriber growth hits 1 million customers {Lusaka Times} - 6.7% of Zambians have Internet access:
Few people access internet {ZNBC via Zambia Online}
Zimbabwe
- ZWRCN is an information-based organisation committed to gender equality and equity. It is currently providing free basic computer skills training to women across all age groups:
ICTs – Opportunity for Women Empowerment {The Herald via allAfrica.com} - Reasons how limited adoption has constrained the impact of ICTs in Sub-Saharan Africa:
Africa ICT uptake still low {The Southern Times}
Global
- Mobile money, IT education, and the cloud:
Three Tech Trends Shaping a Bright Global Future {Huff Post} - Broadband costs over 1,000% of average monthly income in 4 sub-Saharan African nations:
ITU StatShot – Issue 8: January 2012 – Who can afford broadband? {ITU via YouTube}
General Africa
- Which African country is best to do a tech startup? A Decision Framework {Afrinnovator}
- Growth of Internet use in Africa has superseded global average in the last decade reaching 2,000 percent compared to the global’s 480 percent:
Africa internet use hits 2,000 per cent growth {The Citizen}