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Africa to receive 55 billion-dollar-investment to boost internet: ITU
Kigali (AFP) Oct 31, 2007 Africa will receive investment worth 55 billion dollars (38 billion euros) to boost its goal of securing universal Internet access by 2012, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said Wednesday. The commitments were made at the two-day "Connect Africa" summit that ended in Rwandan capital on Tuesday, with a pledge to speed up technology in the continent, the ITU said in a statement. The ITU and African Development Bank (AfDB) jointly vowed to cooperate in connecting all African capitals and major cities with a broadband infrastructure and strengthen connectivity to the rest of the world by 2012. "By 2015, broadband and ICT (information and communication technology) services will be extended to all African villages," the statement said. Six African heads of state and technology experts agreed the Africa, the world's most marginalised continent, must get universal Internet access if its to develop. The UN telecom group urged governments to harmonization of the regulatory framework to stimulate cross-border integration in large-scale projects as well enacting laws that level to playing ground. "Africa is open for business," said Hamadoun Toure, the secretary general of ITU that organised the conference with supported from international bodies including the African Union and the United Nations. "We are looking for investment through win-win partnerships in a viable marketplace by an expanding ICT (information industry." "This new investment in ICT infrastructure will lead to new jobs and overall economic growth," said Toure, explaining that getting connected is key to create wealth needed to achieve the Millenium Development Goals by 2015. Currently less than four percent of Africans have Internet access whilst the rate of broadband penetration barely reaches one percent, according to the ITU. According to the World Bank, the cost of connecting to the Internet in Africa is the highest in the world, at some 250-300 dollars (175-210 euros) per month. Better inter-connectedness is seen as key to developing the continent's economic potential as nearly 70 percent of Africa's Internet traffic travels through intermediary networks outside the continent, costing more for consumers, experts say. Related Links Africa News - Resources, Health, Food
Africa must get broadband to grow economies, summit says
Kigali (AFP) Oct 30, 2007African countries must get broadband Internet connections if they are to attract foreign investment, a pan-African technology conference said Tuesday. |
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