Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.980301192309.24516C-100000@user2.infinet.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 19:24:49 -0500
Sender: "African Network of IT Experts and Professionals (ANITEP) List" <AFRIK-IT@LISTSERV.HEA.IE>
From: "F. Leon Wilson" <flwilson@INFINET.COM>
Subject: Use of the Internet is Growing in Africa
To: AFRIK-IT@LISTSERV.HEA.IE

Use of the Internet is Growing in Africa

From Tom Butterly, Director of Information Management Consultants in Zimbabwe, 18 February 1998

Internet connectivity levels within Africa have improved significantly in the last couple of years. A recent report by Mike Jensen (January 1998) indicates that the capital cities in 42 of the 54 nations on the continent currently have live public access Internet services, and 8 countries (including Zimbabwe) have local dial-up access throughout the whole country.

The total number of Internet users in Africa is estimated at between 800.000 and 1 million, 700,000 of which are in South Africa. Zimbabwe has the third highest number of Internet users (10,000) in Africa and the 5th highest number of Internet users per capita.

However, despite recent progress, Africa remains far behind the developed world in terms of Internet connectivity and usage. For example, it is estimated that 1 in 6 people use the Internet in North America and Europe whereas the comparable figure for Africa, excluding South Africa, is 1 Internet user for every 5,000 people (the figure for Zimbabwe is 1 in 1,100). Even South Africa, with an Internet utilisation rate of 1 in 65, is below the world average of one in forty five.

This information was provided by Tom Butterly, Director of Information Management Consultants in Zimbabwe.
For more of this report, please see the following Constraints to the Development of the "Wired' Economy in Africa.
<http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?service=view_survey&survey_number=610 &re l=no>
Note:==> The above URL must be all on one line in the location (go to) box.
F. Leon
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FLW