Flattening The World -The Prospects for Fiber Optic Technology in Africa

In Africa, the channels of communication are underdeveloped or inappropriate due to numerous factors. This paper outlines the prospects for fiber optic technology in Africa and looks at some fiber optic networks in Africa, examining how fiber optics applications are being used to enhance technological and economic development.

After independence from colonial rule, the lack of an adequate telecommunication infrastructure impeded national development in many African states. Until the 1980s, the principal means of communication were still newspapers, books, telephone, radio, and television. However, with the development of advanced technology, such as satellite and fiber optic networks, advances in the computer industry and the advent of the Internet, new forms of communication media are creating opportunities for African countries to develop their modern telecommunication infrastructure.

The paper concludes by looking at the future of fiber optic technology in promoting modern technological advancement in the international telecommunication sector.

The term “flattening the world” is being use in figurative sense to prove how fiber optic cable networks in Africa are facilitating easy, convenient and accessible flow of information across the world).

Ebenezer Malcolm is an IICD project partner, and coordinator of Global Teenager Project (GTP) in Ghana.

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