Telecommunications development in Africa

Abstract

The Maitland Report was issued in December 1984 when Africa was implementing the second phase of the United Nations Transport and Communications decade in Africa (1978-1988) UNTACDA, whose goal for telecommunications development was to attain by 1988 an average telephone penetration in Africa of 1/100. However, at the end of the program in 1988, Africa had only reached an average telephone penetration of 0.72/100. This figure estimated to have inched up to 0.91/100 by 1991, still a far cry from the target. the regional approach to development was the best option for integrated development, Africa has once again embarked on an UNTACDA program as a framework for developing transport and communications in the last decade of this millennium (1991-2000). Given the present level of advances in telecommunication technology, the challenge to, Africa is therefore how best to harness this technology far the necessary development of telecommunications in Africa. The launching of the RASCOM Organization is a major step in this direction.