[UgaBYTES] WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP- AFRICA (WEEK 32)

[Mwathi Francis]

*Price Controls Can Drive ICT Boom, Study Says*

3rd August 2009

 African governments should regulate the prices of telephony and internet
services to realise the benefits of improved international connectivity,
says the annual African Economic Outlook annual report. It says East
Africa's GDP growth dropped from an average 8.8 per cent in 2007 to 7.3 per
cent in 2008, and is expected to drop further to 5.5 per cent in 2009 and
2010. The report says Africa's economy has been affected by the global
recession. It says economic growth will drop to 2.8 per cent this year from
5.7 per cent in 2008, although this could reverse partially at 4.5 per cent
in 2010. The 2008/2009 report was produced jointly by the African
Development Bank (ADB), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development and the Economic Commission for Africa. It was launched in
Kampala.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/633174/-/5iqr7dz/-/index.html



*Company Launches Fiber-Optic Cable for Southern, Eastern Africa*

4th August 2009

Southern and Eastern Africa are better connected to the rest of the world by
a new underwater fiber-optic communications cable that runs off the eastern
and southern coasts of Africa. With the new cable, installed by the SEACOM
company, communications costs in Africa have a better chance of falling into
line with the lower prices paid in other regions of the world, SEACOM
President Brian Herlihy said August 4. He spoke at the combined opening of
the civil-society and private-sector sessions of the Eighth AGOA Forum.
Addressing the African ministers, civil society activists and business
executives gathered at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Herlihy
said SEACOM's cable went live July 23. Since the launch of the cable,
Safaricom, one of Kenya's major cell phone providers, reports a 60 percent
jump in data activity on its network, Herlihy said.

http://www.america.gov/st/develop-english/2009/August/20090804112704wcyeroc0.9734461.html

* *

*E-services on hand as broadband becomes a reality in Uganda*

4th August 2009

With Tele-medicine, an Indian or European-based doctor will be able to
supervise a successful operation in an African hospital setting saving both
money and time writes Faridah Kulabako

Do you have a burning business deal you need to close abroad? Is it a
medical operation procedure you need to learn from your overseas peers or
could it be a class discussion you’ve always wanted to have with overseas
students but which has so far been hampered by the inadequate size of your
wallet? Then, worry about those expenses no more.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/business_power/E-services_on_hand_as_broadband_becomes_a_reality_in_Uganda_89080.shtml





*Varsities Must Embrace Technology for Quality Upgrade*

7th August 2009

For those who still doubt how important information technology has become in
the world today, the latest ranking of universities offers fresh, important
insights. A Spanish research firm, Webometrics, has published a new ranking
of the world's institutions of higher learning with shocking results for
Africa.

United States and European institutions dominated the top 1,000 positions.
And the magic is simply that these universities are way ahead of the rest in
their possession of a critical learning tool in the contemporary world --
technology. With technology these universities have built unparalleled
foundations for learning. Making the internet available to their teaching
staff and students has broadened their scope of knowledge gathering to all
corners of the globe. Access to the internet has promoted on-line research,
enabled the university community to buy books from far flung bookshops and
broken down lecture room walls to make it possible for one to attend real
time lectures in far flung places without having to travel.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion%20&%20Analysis/-/539548/635768/-/u0g5ckz/-/index.html



*ICT Equipment Retailers Resort to Lowering Prices in Zimbabwe*

7th August 2009

Last month’s scrapping of duty on information and technology equipment has
landed retailers with stockpiles of imported gadgets. Finance Minister
Tendai Biti announced the new policy on ICT-related equipment — computers,
telephone, cellphone handsets and printers, among them — in a bid to
encourage use of latest technologies. He was presenting his mid-term fiscal
policy review in July. The use of ICTs in the country is still relatively
low due to low levels of development and high costs.

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=8294&cat=8



*Central African Backbone project looks set to connect Africa’s fibre free
triangle*

31st July 2009

Whilst there have been announcements about an increasing number of African
countries building cross-border fibre links being built,
politically-troubled countries like Chad and Central African Republic have
missed out on the party. This week Central African Republic announced that
it would be implementing the World Bank-backed Central African Backbone.
Russell Southwood looks at what’s planned.

Central African Republic was the one of the few countries which seemed to
have no plans to create a fibre link to its nearest international landing
station (SAT3) in Cameroon. That all changed this week with an announcement
by the Secretary-General of the country’s Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications who said it would be implementing a World Bank-backed
fibre project dubbed the Central African Backbone.

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html




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Francis Mwathi
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