“
COUNTRY FOCUS: ANGOLA
SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA IS POISED FOR
A PARADIGM SHIFT IN
CONNECTIVITY, CENTRED
IN ANGOLA.
million people in the region accessing the Internet through mobile
devices. In 2016 mobile technologies and services generated $110
billion of economic value in Sub-Saharan Africa, equivalent to 7.7%
of GDP. As local and global connectivity continue to improve, mobile’s
contribution to GDP is expected to increase to $142 billion, equivalent
to 8.6% of GDP, by 2020. Given that Angola has been ranked 120th
out of 141 countries in the Global Innovation Index, there is more
room for improvement. The signs from the new President of Angola
seem to be positive in promoting long-term growth, improving
productivity and creating jobs. As an example of the future-oriented
thinking of the Angolan government, as far back as 2009 (the year
Angola Cables entered the WACS consortium), they invited five local
telecommunications operators to be shareholders of Angola Cables,
propelling the start of SACS three years later.
Research and Education
Beyond commerce and communications, the telecoms/mobile
ecosystem in the region is linking up academic institutions and
research and education (R&E) organisations in other parts of the
world. As trans-Atlantic connectivity improves with the completion
of SACS and Monet, universities and other learning communities in
Africa, North American and Latin American countries are increasingly
collaborating to improve knowledge sharing and research.
An example is the recent signing of an agreement between Angola
Cables and the West and Central African Research and Education
Network (WACREN), the regional research and education network
(REN) that facilitates interconnections between national RENs in
West and Central Africa, including those in Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra
Leone and Togo. The agreement supports the growing connectivity
among academic communities across West and Central Africa,
including services that foster collaboration between research and
education institutions within and beyond the region.
As part of its work in the region, WACREN has been involved in the
TransAfrican Network Development, a project that aims to expand
integration into the global REN community, as well as Sci-GaIA
(Energising Scientific Endeavour through Science Gateways and
e-Infrastructures in Africa), an Africa-wide project that produces
educational and training resources in various fields of science,
and MAGIC (Middleware for collaborative Applications and Global
Virtual Communities).
The on-going development of Africa depends on the degree to which
it can globally integrate with the digital economy. With a growing
appetite for data and mobile devices requiring broadband connectivity
50
INTELLIGENTCIO
(supported by next-generation international networks), the continent
requires investment in its telecommunications capacity in order to
support socio-economic advancement. With the imminent launch of
a trans-Atlantic cable system between Africa and the Americas, Sub-
Saharan Africa is poised for a paradigm shift in connectivity, centred
in Angola. It will also be a profound and symbolic step toward the
continent taking the driver’s seat in expanding the region’s economic
opportunities and determining its digital destiny. n
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