Africa may have cell phones – lots of them – but Egypt and South Africa are the only two African countries to make the top 100 on the United Nations’ latest Broadband Commission list, according to HumanIPO.
The report, produced by the U.N. Broadband Commission for Digital Development, evaluates the roll-out of broadband around the world and tracks progress on the affordability of this service across countries.
Countries – 193 of them – were ranked according to their national broadband policies and the economic impact that Internet access and use are having on their populations. The U.N. report was introduced in 2012.
Egypt ranked 85th on the list with 44.1 percent Internet connectivity and an online population of 41 percent, the report said.
South Africa ranked 92nd with an online population of 41 percent on the U.N.’s latest broadband commission list.
The report predicted the income generated by South Africa’s wireless broadband income will be $7.2 billion by 2015, with 28,000 jobs created.
Nigeria and Kenya are in 110th and 111th place respectively, with 32.1 percent and 32.9 percent broadband penetration.
Swaziland and Libya are at 124th and 125th places with 20.8 percent and 19.9 percent of the population having Internet access respectively.
Ghana, Zimbabwe and Angola occupy 130th, 131st to 132nd places with 17.1, 17.1 and 16.9 percent national connectivity respectively.
Other African countries are as follows: Algeria (15.2 percent), Uganda (14.7 percent) at 136th and 137th, followed by Zambia (13.1 percent) Tanzania (13.5 percent), Namibia (12.9 percent) and Gambia (12.4 percent).
All ranking below 164th place are Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Liberia, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Ethiopia, Niger, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Burundi.
Eritrea is the lowest-ranked country in 191st position with 0.8 percent Internet penetration, the third least-connected place in the world.
