This week’s African tech news round-up consists of 81 stories from 21 countries. The number is slightly lower than usual, the the quality of the news is just as good. Big themes include press freedom (celebrated on May 3rd), girls in ICT (celebrated in late April), and local content creation.

Algeria

• Putting Dissent on Hold: Internet Control and Social Activism in Algeria {Think Africa Press}
• Algeria Hosts the First All-Women Startup Weekend {Wamda}

Botswana

• A vision for an African infrastructure agenda {Mmegi Online}

Djibouti

• Djibouti Telecom {Business Excellence Magazine}

East Africa

• More Content Lowers Broadband Costs {AllAfrica.com}

Egypt

• Egypt’s Internet Revolution on Vimeo {Vimeo}
• Girls in Tech launches first branch in Egypt {Daily News Egypt}
• Slew of internet cable cuts in Egypt prompts search for alternatives {Al-Shorfa}
• Egypt’s MCIT to help boost tourism {BiztechAfrica}

Gabon

• Gabon Telecom’s mobile sales up 14.8%, fixed users resume growth {TeleGeography}

Gambia

• Gambians Unhappy with Skype Ban {Voice of America}
• ITAG Observes International Girls’ ICT Day {AllAfrica.com}

Ghana

• Ghana’s ISPs are dying out because the mobile web is booming {Quartz}
• Training on Cyber Crime ends in Accra {BusinessGhana}
• Thoughts and Lessons learned from #bcKasoa {abumubarik.com}
• 400,000 Laptops for Tertiary Institutions {AllAfrica.com}

Guinea-Bissau

• Televisão da Guiné-Bissau com nova página na Internet para chegar à diáspora {Sapo Notícias}

Kenya

• High charges and social media impede use of multimedia phone messages {Coastweek}
• Geeks create new window for Nairobi as IT hub {Business Daily}
• Kenya ICT Board Learns Tough Lessons from Digital Villages Project {PCWorld}
• Varsities’ incubation hubs key to Kenya growth {Business Daily}
• Local content crucial to Kenya – Ndemo {HumanIPO}
• 4G still economically viable in Kenya – Ericsson {HumanIPO}

Malawi

• Malawi eager to get hands on Galaxy S4 {BiztechAfrica}
• Malawi encourages girls to embark on ICT careers {BiztechAfrica}
• Malawi ICT school voices infrastructure frustrations {BiztechAfrica}

Morocco

• Télécommunications: le secteur se porte bien {lesechos.ma}

Namibia

• Namibia marks Girls in ICT Day {BiztechAfrica}

Nigeria

• How Information Ministry Deployed Social Media in NGG Tour {THISDAY Live}
• Nigeria registers 30000 .ng domain names {National Mirror}
• Ernest Ndukwe predicts broadband infrastructure boom in Nigeria {The Guardian Nigeria}
• WITIN, Dabiri seek more roles for girls in Nigeria’s ICT development {The Guardian Nigeria}
• IXPN canvasses regional exchange points in Nigeria {The Guardian Nigeria}
• Google confirms online advertising growth in Nigeria {The Guardian Nigeria}
• Unesco and Nokia to Use Mobile Technology to Improve Education in Nigeria {WebWire}
• ACN urges Nigerians to resist Jonathan’s “evil” $40million Internet … {Premium Times}
• Mounir – Smartphone Is the Future Phone for the African Market {AllAfrica.com}
• First Nigerian Bloggers Fair held in Lagos {HumanIPO}
• Two years before .ng domain price comes down – Whogohost {HumanIPO}

Rwanda

• New Drive to Fight Hackers {AllAfrica.com}
• Over 180 Young People Receive Computer Literacy Certificates {AllAfrica.com}

Senegal

• Quand la Poste s’éveillera aux TIC, ses services innoveront {Ecofin}

South Africa

• Telecoms firms eye data services for gains {Oxford Business Group}
• South Africa is first to enact cyberbullying law in Southern Africa {PC Advisor}
• Mobile Xhosa for Health Practitioners {AllAfrica.com}
• Huawei SA, Khulisani unite in ICT training project {IT News Africa}
• 6 reasons why SA’s Western Cape deserves to be called Silicon Cape {ventureburn}

Tanzania

• Tanzania ‘not ready’ to use tech to boost competitiveness {The Citizen Daily}
• Tanzanians to Benefit From ICDL Computer Training {AllAfrica.com}

Togo

• République Togolaise – Innovation et connaissance {Republic of Togo}

Tunisia

• ATI presents its Internet exchange platform {Tunisia.com}
• Internet Regulatory Framework Debated by Tunisian Lawyers {Tunisia Live}
• Tunisia Celebrates Internet Freedom by Continuing to Quiet Those Who Dare to Use It {Amnesty International USA}
• New Internet Infrastructure to Lower Costs and Improve Service {Tunisia Live}

Uganda

• MTN Facebook page most followed in Uganda {Telecompaper}
• Makerere University Tops in Microsoft Talent Search {AllAfrica.com}
• Does Social Media have a role in African Politics? {TechPost}

West Africa

• Mobile Web West Africa 2013: Africa’s mobile focused conference is … {VC4Africa}

Zimbabwe

• Social Media Have Revolutionised Life {AllAfrica.com}
• A Pie for Zim {Technology Zimbabwe}
• Zimbabwe: ‘Enforce Intellectual Property Rights’ {The Herald}
• Of Elections and the Internet {AllAfrica.com}

General Africa

• ICT Africa Announces a One Stop Web Page for All ICT Related Events in Africa {DigitalJournal.com (press release)}
• The problem with Africa’s new tech cities {SmartPlanet.com}
• Mobile money services on the move in Africa {IT News Africa}
• Telecom: Airtel records losses in Africa {P.M. News (blog)}
• Nearly 200M people who don’t even have computers are still on Facebook {VentureBeat}
• Etisalat CEO Advocates ICT Agenda for Africa {Zawya}
• How big brands reach Africa’s ‘next million’ shoppers {CNN}
• Africa’s Mobile Communications Revolution {Euromonitor Blog}
• Jannie Momberg Part 2: how do Kenya, Nigeria and SA online … {Grubstreet.co.za}
• Africa’s sexy tech: Death by innovation? {CNN}
• Report: Freedom Restrictions Harm Development {Voice of America}
• Scaling Internet-Based Startups in African Markets {Afrinnovator}
• Africa’s Youth On the Cusp of Change? {AllAfrica.com}
• Where Does the Hardware Come From? {AllAfrica.com}
• Bharti Airtel’s Africa operations net loss widens to Rs 485 crore {The Economic Times}
• This Weekend at re:publica {Hive Colab}
• «Les développeurs africains ne doivent pas produire des apps uniquement pour les Africains» {Ecofin}
• GinWiz experiences huge growth in Africa {HumanIPO}
• ICANN’s Istanbul hub to also cover Africa {ITWeb}