Few African nations had full Internet access (in the form of direct international IP link) until 1996 or 1997. Still, many countries had email and newsgroup access in the early 1990s. BITNET connected various institutions, FidoNet BBSes, and UUCP transferred email.

South Africa recently celebrated 20 years of Internet access. Similarly, Seychelles recently reached 15 years of full Internet access. Botswana and Ethiopia will hit 15 years of access on November 28th. Zambia marks its 17th Internet anniversary in a matter of days.

Below is a list of approximate dates of full Internet access for each African country compiled from reports from the detailed Network Startup Resource Center archives. Many have precise dates; others can only be pinned down to a month or year. Either way, please make an effort to honor these important dates when they come up!