We’ve counted at least 66 articles and updates about African Internet progress over the course of just 10 days. We’re glad to see such optimism as many regions become centers for tech business and e-learning. The themes in the following articles are among the most diverse we’ve seen in the past 2 1/2 years! (Francophone news to be posted soon.)

March 13

1. Which Countries Top the List of ‘Enemies of the Internet?’: Egypt, Eritrea, and Tunisia rank as countries where the Internet is ‘under surveillance’ {RSF via Mashable}
2. Tunisia To Celebrate March 13 As National Day of Internet Freedom: {TechLoy}
3. Computer Aid demands greater e-waste accountability: The organization says major technology manufacturers must be held more accountable for e-waste costs {BBC}
4. Burundi Phone Companies to Build Fiber-Optic Network, Paper Says: {Bloomberg}
5. Signal poor on m-learning’s impact: Mobile phones have been praised as a cheap and effective way to bridge education and digital divides, but hard evidence of their value for effective English learning remains scarce {The Guardian}
6. Technocrats take courses to keep pace with information technology: Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Mauritius have sent officials to train in an AU program for e-skills {Daily Nation}

March 14

1. Q&A: Lenovo’s Head of Africa region: Lenovo eyes business in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, and Ghana {IT News Africa}
2. Zoom Mobile returns to Nigerian market with data focus: {Telecompaper}
3. Vodafone Starts Internet Usage Campaign: Vodafone Ghana introduced an integrated communications campaign which is aimed at educating Ghanaians about the Internet {The Chronicle}
4. Mobile apps to boost ICT innovation: Vision 2030 director-general Mugo Kibati says ICT is a key pillar in the Vision 2030 and asked universities and software developers to think outside the box {Business Daily}
5. TechWomen Expands To Africa: The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has recently announced an expansion of its TechWomen program, an international exchange and mentoring program that is designed to leverage technology as a way to empower women around the globe {Gaebler.com}

March 15

1. Telecoms propel Africa’s fortunes: The CEO of Ericsson sees potential for mobile broadband in Africa {Times Live}
2. Ekiti students, teachers get 33000 laptops: The initiative is being driven by the state government in collaboration with electronics giants Samsung West Africa Limited and Microsoft {The Nation}
3. Facebook is reducing productivity in Ghana: Opinion from Ghana {GhanaWeb}
4. Airtel Tanzania launches 3.75G mobile platform: {Telecompaper}
5. From who’s who to who’s new on social media: Who’s Who of Southern Africa is now an online operation {Media Online}
6. How Kenyan SME earns 60% of its Revenue from the Web: {Afrinnovator}
7. SOS Gives Out 14 Computer Labs to Schools: {Vanguard via allAfrica}

March 16

1. Online dating: bypassing tradition?: Not much is ever said about online dating in Egypt, but such sites are growing in popularity {Egypt Independent}
2. Orange targets huge youth mobile market: Marketing to the youth {The Star}
3. “A mobile revolution is coming” – Goldstuck: Will 2012 be the year of the smartphone for South Africa? {IT News Africa}
4. Digital revolution could help Africa leapfrog into industralisation status: The digital revolution offers Africa an opportunity that other societies never had {Africa Science News}
5. Call for cyber control in Egypt: Although there are about 24 million Internet users in Egypt, according to Ministry of Communication statistics, there is still no comprehensive cyberspace law {Egypt Business Directory}
6. Broadband Internet: Nigerians Value Reliability Over Other Factors: A new report shows that Nigerians favor reliability of Broadband internet service over speed, customer service, and cost {Business IT Nigeria via NairaBrains}
7. Promoting Ethiopia through Online Tools: {ice-addis}
8. Case study: Connecting rural Africa to the internet: Charles Nyezi is a businessman and owner of an Internet café in Nquthu, a small rural community in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa {How We Made It In Africa}

March 17

1. CCK tells mobile telephone operators to go slow on 4G: {The Star}
2. Uganda responds to Kony 2012 video with own video: {WAMC}}
3. Malawi keen on submarine cable connection with Tanzania: Malawi Government intends to connect submarine cables from Tanzania to Malawi so that residents of the neighboring country can get affordable and accessible ICT as well as boost internet services {Guardian via IPP Media}

March 18

1. Tunisia: World Bank Charts ICT-Driven Roadmap – Analysis: The World Bank has released a notable study that analyses the pre- and post-revolutionary situation in Tunisia, including how the Internet instilled change {Eurasia Review}
2. Morocco seeks to regulate, develop online media: The Moroccan Ministry of Communication organized a study day on the electronic press in order to build a legal framework {Magharebia.com}
3. MTNL Mauritius arm to offer 3G services: The company will be the third 3G operator in Mauritius later this year {Economic Times}
4. Gambia – Netpage launches WiMAX wireless broadband service: {Balancing Act}
5. Doing media business in Africa, the colourful continent: A guide to advertising (including digital) in southern Africa {Media Online}

March 19

1. IBM Expands Mauritius Branch: {TechWeekEurope}
2. Google Holds Developer and Tech Conference: Google Ghana (G-Ghana) brought together students, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers and journalists during its annual G-Ghana event in Accra {Daily Guide}
3. ZICTA to empower more schools: The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority will set up computer laboratories with internet connectivity in 148 schools countrywide {ZNBC}
4. Senegal’s mobile customers grow 12% to 9.35 million in 2011: Senegal’s mobile internet subscription base grew by around 680 percent to 188,363 at the end of 2011 {Telecompaper}
5. Kenya Plans ‘Silicon Savannah’ to Build on Tech Growth: Konza City – delayed but still getting press {VOA News}

March 20

1. God, not Internet, holds key to Malawi protests: Internet access is still too limited to contribute to political revolution in Malawi {Maravi Post}
2. Djibouti and Eritrea, two of Africa’s last monopoly markets taking off: Eritrea is the least developed telecommunications market in Africa with a mobile penetration of only around 5% in early 2012 {BuddeBlog}
3. Scramble is on for social media users in Africa: New platforms challenge Facebook and Twitter in a market that is poised for growth {BusinessDay}
4. State Seeks Ways Around Fibre Cuts: The government says it is building a system of fibre optic rings that will carry communication traffic in the event of a network disruption {Capital FM}
5. Third Phase of ICT Dev’t Plan Takes Off: The third phase of the National Information and Communication Infrastructure Policy (NICI Plan 3; 2011-2015) which will see the development and use of new services acquired during phases one and two, was unveiled this past week {The New Times via allAfrica}
6. On-line Kiswahili teaching pays well: Technology plays a critical role in the maintenance of linguistic diversity, promotes mutual understanding and dialogue as well as strengthening local economies {The Citizen}
7. Globacom installs broadband in another Nigeria city: Ibadan now has improved broadband capabilities {IT News Africa}
8. Will MTN Crash Internet Cost With WACS Cable?: Landing the cable on the shore of the beach is just the beginning. {Leadership}
9. Her Zimbabwe goes live: A website dedicated to discussing women’s issues has gone live in Zimbabwe {TechZim via Balancing Act}
10. African innovations: Homegrown advancements drive Africa’s tech revolution {Al Jazeera Stream}
11. Social Media Boom and Rise of Affordable Handsets to Double Mobile Broadband Market Revenue in West and Central Africa by 2017: Advanced technologies such as 3G networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon will lead mobile broadband subscriptions to outpace fixed broadband connections in these two countries over the next 5 years {PRNewswire}
12. Nokia unveils new phones in Kenya: Enabling faster web access {Star Kenya}
13. Nigeria Internet Group to Grant N 1000000 for Young Entrepreneurs: Every year, the NIG gives out grants to young and innovative Information Technology entrepreneurs, who have built web-based solutions that have the potential of creating thousands of jobs {BusinessNews.com.ng}
14. African countries agree to e-waste plans: A Pan-African Forum on e-waste hammers together some initial goals {PC Advisor}

March 21

1. ICT Policy in Africa and the Internet and Human Rights: On the role of ICT policy in Africa and the relationship between Internet and human rights {APC}
2. Surge in tech hubs give African startups a place to grow: Numerous African tech hubs are highlighted {ars technica}
3. Six schools in Ghana benefit from NEPAD e-school Initiative: E-school initiatives must at some point involve the private sector for them to be successful {Vibe Ghana}
4. Djibouti Telecom Signs Accord With Level 3 on Internet Services: The nation eyes becoming a telecommunications hub {Bloomberg}
5. Telecom Egypt Turns to ‘High-End’ Users as 2011 Profit Falls: Telecom Egypt’s Internet service subscribers increased 26 percent to 1.1 million in 2011 {BusinessWeek}
6. Dutch company to establish ISP in South Sudan: The Netherlands-based company INISI has promised to set up an internet service provider in South Sudan {Telecompaper}
7. How Crowdsourcing Is Tackling Poverty In The Developing World: Mentions of Ushahidi {Forbes}
8. Telecos proud of Ghana’s leadership in internet speed ranking: Everyone is talking about the recent Ookla Net Index results… {Joy Online}
9. Google launches Web-to-phone SMS service: The service was launched at the recent G-Nigeria event {The Nation}
10. ‘MainOne has transformed Ghana ICT’: Many customers are satisfied with the improvements in service {The Nation}
11. Ghana needs e-library facilities: {Vibe Ghana}

March 22

1. East African banks lose $245m in cyber fraud: Cyber security continue to be a concern, but few nations are addressing the issue {The New Times via SpyGhana}
2. NTIDA advocates open source software: More love for open source {OnlySoftwareBlog}