AFRO-NETS> Internet comes to Africa

[Pierre and Lee Ann Dil <f84pgd@morgan.ucs.mun.ca>]

Internet comes to Africa
------------------------

Dear colleagues,

The Canadian Medical Association Journal, Feb.9, 1999, Vol.160, No.3,
contains an interesting article entitled "The Internet comes to Af-
rica". It highlights the amazing changes in urban areas with respect to 
internet access, but also highlights the very real technical and tele-
phone difficulties that many of us have experienced in Africa. Thank-
fully too, the author does mention how the internet experience is one 
limited to the wealthy few (he quotes 1% or less of Zimbabweans as hav-
ing access....maybe even this is too high??). Some highlights for tech-
nophiles:

* Of the estimated 150 million internet users globally, 0.5% are in Af-
  rica, and of these 95% are in South Africa.
* In Canada 15-30% of the population has internet access.

Some web addresses mentioned as useful springboards:

The Electronic Technology Group of the African Studies Association at:
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/guide.html

This contains unique Africa (south of the Sahara search engines, and 
from trying their web site I have to report it was sluggish in loading 
a link entitled "how to access the web by e-mail").

Also, The Electronic African Bookworm (web navigator to African litera-
ture and newspapers), at:
http://www.hanszell.co.uk/navtitle.htm

and finally (One Zambia, One Nation - well done UNZA!), it mentions the
University of Zambia Medical Library at:
http://www.medguide.org.zm

as a uniquely African launchpad site.

The author of the article is Dr. Garth Dickinson at <garth@icon.co.zw> 
if you want to make specific comments to him. If I have made any errors 
in the web page addresses above, please do contact me.

Best wishes,

Pierre Dil
mailto:f84pgd@morgan.ucs.mun.ca
http://members.truepath.com/dil/dil.html

International health page:
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Falls/2949/ihealth.htm


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