The Internet Is As Important To Ghana And Afirca's Future As Food And Water".

That the Internet is important for the development of Ghana and for that matter Africa cannot be denied. It is therefore gratifying to know that Professor Nii Quaynor at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana is a champion of this concept. These are some of the highlights of his interview with the New Scientist.

• Though Africa needs food and other resources, it cannot survive without
  affordable computing. This computing power will help with the development
  of many sectors of the economy such as agriculture and water supply.
• Like education, the digital economy dictates that the computing knowledge
  should be the right of every student.
• Though only 5% of sub-Saharan Africans have access to the Internet, Professor
  Nii Quaynor hopes that with the help of cell phones and other low cost
  interfaces like the $100 laptops and cybercafes the target of 95% usage of
  Internet could be achieved earlier.

Those of us who are interested in this issue are grateful for Professor Quaynor's work. We need more like-minded scientists to form a critical mass to move this Internet revolution off the ground. The governments of Africa have to be leaders in this endeavor. The aim is to provide the schools with the Internet Communication Technology.



Reference: New Scientist. 9 August 20008