Internet Use in Africa

Considerable development has been made in terms of the expansion of the use of the Internet in Africa. African governments have come to realise the importance of global connectivity that the Internet offers and are making effort to provide the rudimentary infrastructure for Internet take-off. A notable instance is the general consensus by African leaders that ICTs and specifically global connectivity are priority areas coupled with poverty alleviation (1). This development has continued to grow in the Internet use and market in Africa. The Internet market in Africa doubled from 2.5 million users to about 5 million in the year 2000, which shows a high level of growth. Specifically, the African market grew by 126 percent in the year 2000 (van Niekerk, 2001). In the same year, South African market grew by 80 percent from 1.6 million users to 2.8 million. About 66 percent, of Internet users on the African continent are in South Africa (ibid.) The use of the Internet has grown relatively rapidly in most urban areas in Africa, in much the same pattern as the adoption of the cell phone. As an indication, five years ago, only a handful of countries had local Internet access, now it is available in every capital city on the continent.

For a concise and detail account of the Internet market and usage in Africa, learners are encouraged to visit http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afstat.htm This link provides a status report on the African internet landscape.

1. A New African Initiative: Merger of the Millennium Partnership for the African Recovery Programme (MAP) and Omega Plan. July 2001. http://www.dfa.gov.za/events/afrinit.htm