African internet revolution
Africa's digital isolation is a result of many things but a lack of competition in telecommunications and a lack of infrastructure have been large hurdles to overcome. African governments are fully aware that connectivity is important for economic development, but West Africa is connected to the rest of the world by a single fiber-optic cable and until now East Africa is relying on expensive satellite links.
It's been a long time coming and there's probably still a long way to go but news this week that a high speed internet cable connecting East Africa to the rest of the world can only be a good thing. However, the millions of students and researchers in sub-Saharan Africa that need access to the same resources and knowledge as students and scientists anywhere will probably still have to wait until they start to offer affordable connectivity in general and to universities in particular.
