Africa lags behind on broadband access
A new United Nations report reveals that Africa significantly lags behind the rest of the world in providing affordable broadband access to its population. The UN released new statistics last Thursday, 2 September 2010, revealing a global disparity in fixed broadband access and cost ahead of this month's review of the Millennium Development Goals in New York.
It found that the Central African Republic has the most expensive fixed broadband connection in the world, costing nearly 40 times the country's average monthly income. Ethiopia, Malawi, Guinea and Niger were also among the top five most expensive countries for a fixed broadband connection.
Affordable access to communications technology is one of the targets envisaged by the Millennium Development Goals.
Source: Panos London
Panos London promotes the participation of poor and marginalised people in national and international development debates through media and communication projects. It is part of the worldwide Panos Network of independent institutes working to ensure that information is used more effectively to foster debate, pluralism and democracy.
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