Closing the Digital Divide 25 November 2013

The History of the Internet in Africa

By Dawit BekeleRegional Vice President - Africa

The Internet is now growing faster in Africa than any other region. But, it took a lot of time and effort of the pioneers to reach this stage. Here at the Internet Society, we believe that it is very important to remember and document the history behind the Internet in Africa so that the contribution of the pioneers is not forgotten.

This why we created the History of the Internet in Africa section in our a website. This dedicated interactive site was developed with the support of African experts to give an overview of the current status of the Internet in the continent as well as compile the defining moments and people that were key to this process.

In fact, as in other regions, the Internet could not have reached the millions of Africans that access it today without the selfless contribution of the pioneers whom this site celebrates. Today’s generation should know about their sacrifices so that it doesn’t take the Internet for granted and work so that it reaches the 85% of the Africans that still do not have access to the network.


Click to view our interactive infographic

It is always difficult to record history, especially since important events and contributions are not always documented and the people who can talk about them may not be available or reachable. This work is made even more difficult since the Internet was developed bottom up and there were many local initiatives that contributed to build it in Africa. As a result, we recognize that there might be some omissions for which we would like to ask for your understanding.

This work could not have been possible without the support of our many members and friends who contributed by sending information for the project. The Internet Society also recognizes the invaluable contribution of the team of African experts led by Pierre Dandjinou who compiled the many inputs we received from the community.

Know more:

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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