BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MEDIA FOR AFRICA

'Africa could overtake Asia'

'Africa could overtake Asia'
Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
06 Jun 2012

Africa has huge potential to overtake Asia and the Pacific countries as an emerging economic powerhouse provided the continent keeps accelerating the deployment of internet and cellphone mobile penetration into the countryside, a senior official has said.

Speaking at the Africa ICT Indaba in Cape Town, Houlin Zhao, deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union, said that the only dilemma for Africa was the poor image the continent receives internationally.

"Africa can easily overtake Asia and the Pacific in terms of mobile and internet penetration, but there are huge misconceptions out there about this continent,” said Zhao.

"As I speak to you right now, Africa enjoys 57% mobile penetration and I am quite convinced the objectives can always be achieved - through increased internet penetration into the rural areas," he explained.

He urged Africa to continue speaking with one voice if the continent ever wanted to assume some huge responsibilities in making impact in information communication technology.

Zhao said the misconceptions about Africa as an "incapable", "dark continent" as well as the "hopeless region" of the world were not only segregating, but impacting negatively for technology advancement.

He said the African continent was making inroads in software and applications development saying much emphasis should be put on mobile and internet penetration into the countryside.

Zhao however expressed hope that Africa would claim its position in the world of technology provided the continent continues to speak with one voice from the top to the bottom.

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