ICT access and usage in Africa

Findings indicate that ICT sector reforms have generally been sub-optimal; insufficient competition or effective price regulation has constrained take-up and usage. This paper reports on findings of the second household and individual user survey of access and usage between 2007 and 2008 across 17 African countries. The high cost of communications inhibits ICT access, constrains individual communication and inflates the input cost to businesses. Through network development, Research ICT Africa (RIA) is building an African knowledge base to support ICT policy and regulatory design processes, and monitors and reviews policy and regulatory developments on the continent