After several delays and missed opportunities, DRC was finally connected to the West African Cable System (WACS) in July this year, which links Europe to West Africa and South Africa through a 14,530 km submarine fibre-optic cable system. The connection provides potential for DRC to expand internet connectivity and benefit from faster and cheaper internet access, more reliable connections and more advanced services. However, the national...

Public investment in the telecommunication sector could see the completion of an extensive (6,700 km) fibre optic network over the next few years and help fulfill the government’s aim of raising internet access to around 20-30% of the population, up from the current penetration rate of about 2%. The first phase of the expansion (a 1,400 km cable from San Pedro in the south west to Ferkessedougou in the central north) began in 2012 and is...

Telecommunications is one of the fastest growing sectors in Tanzania and looks set to receive substantial further investment over the next few years. The country’s mobile network operators have aired plans to invest in network expansion, as well as mobile data and cash transfer services. However, the major players in the sector are concerned about the government’s attempts to cash in on the rapid growth of telecommunications through the...

Gabon has set out a range of administrative and financial incentives to attract foreign firms into priority growth sectors such as agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, mining, timber, telecommunications and tourism. This is part of the government’s drive to diversify the economy away from oil sector, where new discoveries have been largely absent over the past decade and production has remained anchored at around 250,000 bpd since 2002....

Untapped gas fields should present Tanzania with an import new source of income, particularly as recent discoveries and new possibilities in off-shore gas fields could double its proven reserves to around 100 trillion cubic feet by 2015. New discoveries and vast potential reserves are expected to prompt substantial investment in gas exploration, extraction and LNG refining capacity over the next few years, as well as the supporting...