1. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria1 Building an African Information Infrastructure : strategies for overcoming current limitations towards achieving Universal Internet Access ‘Shola TAYLOR Principal Consultant/CEO Kemiliñks International Afrinet 2000 18-20 September 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria

2. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria2 The Internet Explosion Growth has been phenomenal 1981-213 hosts + several thousand users 1999 -56m hosts + 190 m users Virtually every country connected 74 years to reach 50 m telephone users 4 years to reach 50 m internet users Africa is still lagging behind

3. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria3 Internet Expansion - what next? Difficult to predict, BUT … -multimedia is emerging with larger BW requirements that are scarce/expensive Can Africa catch up ? -Internet expansion requires good backbone networks -Africa can catch up IF … the right policies and regulations are there

4. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria4 Limitations to growth of Internet in Africa Kemilinks study of Internet access in Africa indicates 4 main limitations : Price of Internet Access - hardware/software -service provision -telephone service charges Infrastructure Content : source, language Regulations

5. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria5 Strategies for overcoming limitations(I) Define government policy towards Universal access and Universal Service : with realistic goals and timeframe Ensure demonstrable commitment of governments at all levels - establish websites etc. Licensing must be relevant to developmental needs -network roll out and performance targets -define obligations including rural access -enforceable penalties if targets are not met

6. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria6 Strategies for overcoming limitations(II) Licence infrastructure providers Encourage more foreign investment with local partnership Clearly defined regulatory framework – incumbent vs ISPs, international access etc. Special Tariffs to attract more users Encourage more Telecentres, particularly in underserved areas Promote competition in service provision Promote local development of content

7. 18-20 September 2000Afrinet 2000, Ecowas Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria7 THANK YOU Thank you for listening CONTACTS -tel +44 208 202 5863 -e-mail kemilinks@aol.com -fax +44 208 931 1019