For Africa to develop, it is vital to "bridge the gap between the information haves and the information have-nots," South African President Nelson Mandela told telecommunications professionals gathered at Africa Telecom '98, held in Johannesburg on 4-10 May 1998. The first International Telecommunications Union (ITU) event of its kind ever held in Africa, the conference attracted nearly 20,000 participants from 117 countries, serving as a conduit between an information-deprived continent and technologically-advanced companies from around the world.
Similarly, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) sponsored a conference on global connectivity in Addis Ababa on 2-4 June 1998, seeking concrete solutions to Africa's weak communications infrastructure. In both instances the goal was clear: to revitalize African economies through the development of telecommunications.
At Africa Telecom '98, President Mandela commented that his government strongly supports "the right to universal access to telecommunications, a goal that new technologies make achievable. This is consistent both with our principled commitment to equity and with the role of telecommunications infrastructure in socio-economic development."
-- UN Economic Commission for Africa
- Only 14 mn phone lines have been installed in sub-Saharan Africa, fewer telephones than in Tokyo, Japan;
- The average waiting time for the installation of a telephone in Africa is five years;
- Fewer than one in 50 Africans has direct telephone access;
- A minimal investment of $50 bn would be required to make African telecommunications competitive with other regions.
Although inducing capital investment under conditions of an underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure and limited prospects for profits remains a "tough sell," it is not out of the question, as demonstrated by the commitment of Worldspace Corporation, a new US firm specializing in digital radio broadcasting systems. Worldspace announced at the conference that it would make a $500 mn investment in satellite technology in Africa.
While smaller companies are willing to expand to the African continent, the larger, more established communications giants often demand an environment more favourable to the profit margins of international business. According to US-based MCI, government control is hindering the development of telecommunications in Africa. If an investor-friendly approach is adopted, says Mr. Lawrence Codacovi, MCI's vice president of international services, cellular phone systems -- which are wireless -- could be developed in poor countries, even in remote villages lacking such basic necessities as running water or electricity.
The information revolution is also accelerating African governments' privatization programmes, since consumer demand for modern telecommunications far exceeds the capacity of state-controlled agencies to fulfill the need. For example, South Africa is privatizing its Telkom system, initially selling a substantial portion -- 25 per cent -- to Southern Bell, a US concern. In addition, it passed the Telecom Act of 1996, effectively terminating Telkom's monopoly in five years. Another country moving in the direction of privatization is Togo, which recently secured a $30 mn loan from the World Bank for restructuring its telecommunications services sector.
The expansion of phone lines is one aspect of global connectivity. It means development for rural Africa, where 70% of the population resides. Since telephone ownership has historically been limited to the urban elite, it remains a high priority for African policy-makers to insure that the telecommunications infrastructure target the vast majority who do not inhabit cities. Among those in the forefront of providing telephone access to remote areas are Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa, each of which is devoting significant planning and more funding to this effort. On the larger scale, global connectivity implies access to sophisticated international networks, specifically, the Internet.
That Africa must come to grips with its ineffectual communications system was the focal point of the ECA conference. In a statement of purpose issued by experts at the ECA "Global Connectivity for Africa" forum, it was noted that "new technologies are now available that could substantially improve Africa's connectivity for telecommunications and information networks. These new solutions utilize the most advanced satellite, cellular and fibre optic cable technology and offer the opportunity for vastly improved communications, with increased volumes, higher speed and reliability, and a wider ranger of services, all at lower costs."
Working groups at the conference set forward specific proposals designed to transform domestic delivery of telecommunications, specifically: reducing the cost of gaining access to information; increasing productivity in all sectors utilizing the new technologies; improving the quality and reliability of transmission; and enhancing international access to service providers. African governments must be disposed to releasing regulatory control, if universal access to telecommunications is to become a reality, conference participants concluded.
Integrating Africa into the global information economy -- from cellular telephones to the World Wide Web -- is a monumental task for the continent's communications experts and policy-makers, but it must be put on the agenda. Information technology is the prerequisite for development in the next millennium, all agreed.
