Internet Access Should Be Free for All in Africa

Internet Access in Africa

Imagine what the African continent will become if access to the internet is available to all and it is free. Not only will it empower a people who for generations have seen their continent exploited by the west. It will unleash an education revolution that will create opportunities and bring amazing potential to local communities. Not that the internet is not available across Africa but limited access because of costs and unavailability in remote  and awkward areas makes it non-existent for a vast majority of Africans. But the emergence of fiber optic cables along the continent’s coastline is about to change all this.  Connecting Africa to the rest of the world through technology will provide a platform for its people to present their vibrant culture and traditions in unique ways and equally provide them the exposure to western lifestyle and technological advancements.

African schools and Universities will see a complete overhaul in their access to academic resources and it will lay the foundation not only for a more vibrant educational awareness but a new challenge to raise their standards. All these will ultimately improve the economic circumstances of the region as people will be more equipped to take control of their local and national administrations.  The huge academic resource the internet offers will enhance inter-relations among communities and make communication not only easy but affordable and cheap as the introduction of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) has removed the barrier of inaccessibility because of the limitations that contemporary telephone lines has and the costs that comes with it.

Music audio and video downloads will certainly provide an entertainment facility that most young Africans would cherish. Exchange of educational material through file transfer technology can only enhance a better learning experience. And the social network environments that Facebook and MySpace provides will link up young men and women into a frenzy world of sharing photos and messages that can be fun and a new way of engagement.  The world wide web will also be a means for Africans to express their views about events and things happening around them in their communities. Those they connect with around the world will also benefit hugely from understanding cultures of a different people and will be presented with a dynamic experience of the challenges Africa faces.

Africa’s  communications networks were destroyed during years of civil conflict. The threat of  continued political instability has deterred governments or companies from investing in new systems. E-mail messages and phone calls sent from some African countries have to be routed through Britain, or the United States, which then  increases costs and delivery times. About 75 percent of African Internet traffic is routed this way and costs African countries billions of extra dollars each year that they would not have incurred if their infrastructure was up to speed.

It seems most African governments have not paid much attention to their communications  infrastructure. Apparently, Africa’s only connection to the network of computers and fiber optic cables that are the Internet’s backbone has been an undersea cable running from Portugal down the west coast of Africa. This was built in 2002 and was supposed to provide cheaper and faster Web access, but so far that has not happened.

The cost of accessing the internet still remains high because the national telecommunications linked to the fiber optic cable maintain a monopoly over access, squeezing out potential competitors. And plans for a fiber optic cable along the East African coast have stalled over similar access issues. Most countries in Eastern Africa, depend on slower satellite technology for Internet service. The result of all this is that Africa remains the least connected region in the world, and the digital gap between it and the developed world is widening rapidly.  Africa can’t be part of the global economy or academic environment unless it can offer Internet access that is the same as the rest of the world.  There is the serious danger that the benefits of the Internet age will bypass the continent. Most of the satellites serving Africa were launched nearly 20 years ago and are aging or going out of commission. The risk that this poses is unthinkable as the reliant on it cannot be over-emphasised.

African governments are faced with the prospects of  having to balance priorities between the  need for improvements in more basic necessities such as clean water and the current necessity to bring Internet connectivity to all corners of the continent.  But it has become widely acceptable that the benefits of the internet do justify huge investments. More countries in Africa are creating the economic environment necessary to encourage foreign telecoms companies to invest in their country’s communications infrastructure.  The government of Sierra Leone under President Koroma has introduced legislation that will provide security for would be investors and reduce red-tape that will ultimately see an influx of technology giants taking up a vital role in bringing the country on par with the rest of the world. The administration also offers a higher return of investment that can only be an incentive for potential investors. All this can only be good for  a continent that has suffered so many setbacks on its journey to communicate with the rest of the world.

© 2010, Ahmed M Kamara. All rights reserved. – Reproduction of Newstime Africa content on any other news medium without the prior consent or approval of the publishers is forbidden, and in direct contravention of International copyright laws. Violators will be pursued and prosecuted.