By Roy Mark
dc.internet.com
March 26, 2001

One of the bleakest digital divides in the world is in Africa. It is estimated that while Africa is home to more than 10 percent of the world's population, the continent accounts for less than one percent of the world's Internet users and two-thirds of those are in South Africa. The U.N. says that Africa's 780 million people have as many Internet hosts as the small country of Latvia, which has a population of 2.5 million. 

The Africa Technology Forum, a global non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., hopes to begin bridging this divide with several new initiatives including a mass information/education campaign in Africa touting the benefits of technology using many of the means utilized to transmit the AIDS message. 

The organization also plans a campaign to increase the number of technology professionals through training programs delivered over radio, through existing learning institutions, with inexpensive books, and through other mass means. In addition, the group is launching a project to define what environment is needed for technology to thrive in Africa and to communicate this to policy-makers. 

"By targeting the populations of Africa directly as well as the continent's governments, we believe Africa will be able to take her rightful place on the world technology stage," said African-born Rebecca Enonchong, chief executive officer (CEO) of AppsTech Inc., and founding member of the Africa Technology Forum. "We recognize that getting the governments of Africa involved will be one of our greatest challenges, but we hope that by showing results in technology-friendly nations first, the more reticent governments will come around." 

The new initiatives were outlined at WorldSpace Corp. in Washington, D.C. during the first networking reception sponsored by the Africa Technology Forum, which consists of high-level technology executives and companies with interests in Africa. 

More than 130 technology entrepreneurs and executives turned out for the session in which Reggie Aggarwal, CEO of Cvent, spoke about successfully building the Indian CEO High Tech Council, a similar CXO networking group that Aggarwal co-founded. 

Since the Africa Technology Forum was established in October, it has attracted worldwide attention from within the high technology community. 

Founding members include Enonchong; Noah Samara, chairman & CEO of WorldSpace Corp.; Alberto Olympio, co-founder and technical director of Galaxie Informatique International; Amadou Mahtar Ba, president of allAfrica.com; Samuel Suraphel, founder and CEO of i3afri Global Inc.; and Leslie Noukelak, chief operating officer of AfricaToday.com. 

The Africa Technology Forum is located on the Web at http://www.africatechforum.com