Introduction
The last few years have seen a phenomenal
growth of the Internet in Africa. It has already
lead to a transformation in the lives of large
numbers of people and is fast changing the
way organisations communicate and do busi-
ness. What is however noticeable, when one
looks at what is actually happening on the
ground, is that there is now a full awareness
of what the Internet is and what it can do.
Many people are aware of the changes it has
rung outside Africa. Of particular note is the
fact that large organisations (both in the pub-
lic and private sectors) now have an infor-
mation policy that centres on the Internet as
the main vehicle for communication and the
dissemination of information within the
organisation and with other organisations.
Internet cafes have made an appealing pres-
ence as the latest thing in town. What is very
noticeable is that there are distinct and var-
ied groups of Internet users in each country.
There are also marked differences in the rate
of the up-take of the technology between indi-
vidual African countries and also between the
regions – North, South, East and West. It is
now an accepted fact in Africa that the Inter-
net changes ‘everything’. There are a number
of stumbling blocks preventing the realisation
of the many hoped for Internet dreams and at
times the Net experience is a very frustrating
one as access speeds are notoriously slow.
Basis of the analysis
The general overview of the Internet in Africa
presented here is based on Press’s [1] ana-
lytical framework of the diffusion of Internet
technologies in a given environment, Daly’s
[2] and Menou’s [3] impact assessment
model of new technologies in developing
settings.
Press’s framework comprises six cate-
gories namely: pervasiveness, geographic dis-
persion, sectoral absorption, connectivity,
organisational infrastructure and sophistica-
tion of use. Pervasiveness relates to the level
of use by non-technicians and the users’ per
capita income. The geographical dispersion
looks at the concentration of the technology
within a nation, analysing uses in cities and
points of presence in the country. Sectoral
absorption is concerned with the use of the
Internet in education, commerce, health and
the public sector, i.e. key development areas
as identified by the United Nations Human
Development Index. Connectivity infrastruc-
ture is based on the speed of Internet traffic
and bandwidth to national and international
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An evaluation of the impact of the Internet
in Africa
B.M. Chivhanga
The Internet Studies Research Group (ISRG), Department of Information Science, City University,
Northampton Square, London EC1V OHB
bmmc@soi.city.ac.uk
The article describes the diffusion of the Internet in Africa and its impact on its people,
organisations and socio-economic activities. It shows which countries are leading the
way and why, and more importantly the problems confronted by people in different
countries. A conceptual framework based on the work of Press, Daly and Menou is used
to analyse the diffusion of Internet technologies in Africa. A case study, involving the
application of web technologies in the agricultural sector, is used as an example of the
key role the Internet can play in respect to key socio-economic activities in Africa. The
article concludes by looking at the future developments of the technology.