South Africa

• Crowd-funding.co.za, a site aimed at raising money for startups in South Africa, recently launched:
  Crowd-funding pushes lone startup into spotlight {memeburn}
• Western Cape premier Helen Zille stated the province aims to create the largest mesh network in the world within the next two years:
  W Cape initiates major ICT push {ITWeb}
• The work currently underway seeks to roll out network infrastructure between 2012 and 2014:
  95% Gauteng broadband coverage promised {MyBroadband}
• ICT lab in Khayelitsha launched {The Good News}

Zambia

• More computers are required if the majority of children are to gain access to IT and to be able to learn the skills required for further education and employment:
  A visit to some of Computer Aid’s projects in Zambia {Computer Aid}

Eritrea

• The Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) is a union of three political parties, all of which have their own website:
  A Glance at the Eritrean Opposition Online {Sahel Blog}

Sao Tome and Principe

• A commercial 3G launch is expected in 5 weeks and will cover 70% of the population:
  CST Launches 3G Technical Pilot in Sao Tome and Principe {Celluar-News}

Kenya

• Two minutes of video about Konza City’s current prospects:
  Konza City delayed {YouTube}
• A rebuttal of an op-ed written last week regarding the challenges facing Android in Kenya:
  Reason the Going Won’t Be Smooth for Android {Daily Nation via allAfrica}
• A few interesting but less-covered Kenyan sites:
  Kenia 2.0 {El Pais}
• Twitter is bringing accountability to the government and big business:
  Twitter, Revolution Tool for the ‘Small Person’ in Kenya {Huff Post UK}
• The next frontier for growth will be realized with a focus on innovation, data provision, and value added services:
  Tough Call for New Telecoms As Boom Ends {Daily Nation via allAfrica}
• Poor funding of the segment, slow Internet, and the high cost of bandwidth are expected to work against Kenya as more countries in Africa raise investments on their business process outsourcing industry. $650 per megabyte of bandwidth is recommended for Kenya to compete with Mauritius and South Africa:
  BPO Firms Suffer From Worsening Job Losses in the West {Business Daily via allAfrica}
• Cyber security is more important than ever as computer users enhance their skills:
  East African firms caught up in hacking spree {Computerworld}
• AccessKenya Group will expand its network in Nairobi and in Mombasa:
  Kenya’s Internet unveils fiber expansion plans {Coastweek}

North Africa

• The Arab Digital Vanguard: How a Decade of Blogging Contributed to a Year of Revolution {Jillian C. York}
• Wikipedia looks to expand Arabic content via educational initiative {The Guardian}

Uganda

• UCC, the Ugandan telecoms regulator, will begin to impose penalties to companies who don’t provide adequate quality of service:
  Telecom companies to be penalized for poor service {The New Times}

Mali

• The Segou Village Connection “cruise for Internet literacy” on the river Niger, has completed a two-week training tour of schools:
  Ségou Connection: Introducing The Internet To 800 Villagers {RisingVoices}

Rwanda

• MTN Internet Disruptions Due to Undersea Cable {Rwanda Focus via allAfrica}
• Airtel hopes investments in 2G and 3G will allow the company to compete with MTN and Tigo:
  Airtel to invest USD 100 mln in Rwanda over 3 years {TelecomPaper}

Nigeria

• Opinion on the need to Nigeria to develop its own technology in order to form a modern identity:
  Nigeria’s own social media? {Daily Trust via Afrique en Ligne}
• AfricaIPconnect is a reliable, fully managed high speed Internet solution for large, medium and small size businesses located anywhere in Africa, using VSAT access technology:
  Vodacom unveils AfricaIPconnect in Nigeria {Biztech Africa}
• An initial effort offering 50,000 free .ng domain name registrations delivered only 8,510 new domains:
  Switch to .ng, says NIRA {Biztech Africa}
• Boko Haram threatens mobile firms {Hurriyet Daily News}
• ‘U.S.$240 Million Required to Promote Bandwidth’ {Leadership via allAfrica}

Tanzania

• The telecom operator plans to focus on mobile internet service, with ambitious plans for the next 12-18 months. Mobile internet penetration is estimated at 3-4% vs. 15% in Kenya:
  Vodacom Tanzania to invest in mobile internet {TelecomPaper}
• Great photo of an Internet cafe/marketplace:
  Internet Cafe, Maasai Market, Kisongo Tanzania {Flickr}

Egypt

• Online companies such as Google are seeking out web pioneers in Egypt to put their skills into business prospects:
  Future bright for Egypt’s web-savvy {Sky News}
• One expert points out how the revolution began with the introduction of blogs around 2003:
  Internet sped up inevitable in Egypt, expert says {Egypt Independent}

Benin

• Since 2006, Isocel Telecom of Cotonou, the capital of Benin, has been providing Internet access services to the entire country with a Fixed Broadband Wireless Access business model:
  Entrepreneurs bring broadband to Africa {NetKwesties}

Zimbabwe

• The website FarmersCo-Op.co.zw is a new concept for farmers and suppliers in Zimbabwe:
  ‘Internet Craze’ Catches Up With Zim Farmers {Financial Gazette via allAfrica}

Ivory Coast

• 3G licenses will be awarded starting in March. 4G was considered but decided against:
  Ivory Coast to Award 3G Mobile-Phone Licenses, Register Users {Bloomberg}

Namibia

• Oshiwambo news on the WACS cable:
  Iilonga ta yi endelele yo Internet muApril nuumvo {The Namibian}

Senegal

• Sonatel lists 107,000 Internet users (a 15% increase in 2011) across Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali:
  Sonatel of Senegal Profit Fell 16% in 2011 as Tax Breaks End {Bloomberg}

Guinea

• Guinean’s virtual dream becomes cyber reality {BBC}

Libya

• Etisalat showcases its vision on the “Broadband for all” at TEDx Tripoli {Emirates News Agency}

Ethiopia

• The law has existed in draft form for years now:
  Ethiopia Drafts E-Commerce Law {NewsDire}

General Africa

• The Research ICT Africa network is spearheading on-the-ground research in 20 African countries to provide governments and private organizations with the information and analysis required to develop innovative and appropriate policies:
  Mobile in Africa: Insights from Research ICT {Bizcommunity}
• The fall of some authoritarian regimes in the Arab world has been achieved in part through social networks. Can this be done south of the Sahara?
  L’Afrique a l’heure du cyberactivisme {Afriquinfos}
• Local programmers and homegrown business models are helping to realize the vast promise of using phones to improve health care and save lives:
  Kenya’s Startup Boom {MIT Technology Review}
• Despite a lack of appropriate electronic payment systems and expensive shipping costs continuing to plague the African e-commerce sector, making money on the internet is increasingly a reality for many African entrepreneurs:
  Making money on the internet in Africa {Bizcommunity}
• Africa emerging as a leader in the information age {Developing Telecoms}
• The most recent ITU data (from December 2011) cites a 13.5% Internet penetration rate for Africa as a whole. Morocco leads in terms of percentage of the population online (49%), but Nigeria has the most Internet users (45 million):
  Internet use in Africa passes 139 mln mark {TelecomPaper}
• Vodafone, Telefonica, Airtel, Orange, Beeline, MTN, Etisalat, Qatar Telecom:
  Africa’s 8 largest mobile networks {IT News Africa}
• Pyramid Research EMEA Manager Badii Kechiche talks about the mobile growth opportunities in Africa’s consumer and enterprise markets:
  Mobile Growth Opportunities in Africa {Light Reading}