CYBERSPACE IS EXPANDING IN AFRICA WITH THE OPENING IN 
IVORY COAST OF "AFRICA ON-LINE," AN AFRICAN COMPANY PROVIDING 
ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, KNOWN AS 
THE INTERNET. 

IN 1994, THREE YOUNG KENYANS STUDYING AT PRESTIGIOUS 
UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES CREATED "AFRICA ON-LINE" TO 
PROVIDE AFRICANS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.  THE INTERNET IS A 
GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK THAT GIVES USERS ACCESS TO 
INFORMATION FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR THE PRICE OF A LOCAL 
TELEPHONE CALL.

AYISI MAKATIANI, THE 31-YEAR-OLD FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF "AFRICA
ON-LINE," SAYS HE CREATED THE COMPANY TO FACILITATE THE FLOW OF 
NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT AFRICA. 

         ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT 
         WHEN WE GOT NEWS LOCALLY AND WE DISTRIBUTED IT ON THE 
         INTERNET, IT WAS DONE FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE RATHER 
         THAN FROM AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE AS REUTERS AND 
         A-P (ASSOCIATED PRESS) MIGHT DO IT.  WE WANTED TO MAKE 
         SURE THAT THE NEWS WAS FAIR TO THE AFRICANS.  IN GENERAL
         THE NEWS OUT OF AFRICA TENDS TO BE NEGATIVE. 
         WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF FAIR 
         REPORTING ABOUT THE NEWS.  IF I WERE TO READ NEWS 
         TRANSMITTED OVER THE INTERNET, IT WOULD BE A FAIR 
         REPRESENTATION. 

MR. MAKATIANI SAYS ANOTHER GOAL OF "AFRICA ON-LINE" IS BRINGING 
NEW INTERNET TECHNOLOGY TO AFRICA.  HE SAYS THE COMPANY STRATEGY 
IS TO REACH ORDINARY PEOPLE BY ESTABLISHING BUSINESS CENTERS 
WHERE ANYONE CAN LINK UP TO THE WORLD-WIDE INFORMATION NETWORK.

         A LOT OF THE AUDIENCE WE SEE RIGHT NOW TENDS TO BE 
         BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPUTERS AND CAN AFFORD 
         THEM. BUT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE 
         "CYBER-CAFES" BY SENDING OUR INTERNET ACCESS TO SCHOOLS 
         AND OTHER PLACES THAT ALREADY HAVE COMPUTERS AVAILABLE 
         TO PROVIDE THEM THE MECHANISM TO CHARGE ON AN HOURLY 
         BASIS OR PER MINUTE BASIS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN COME IN AND
         BE ABLE TO CREATE ACCOUNTS.

INDUSTRY OBSERVERS SAY SOME AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN 
RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT TELECOMMUNICATIONS ADVANCEMENTS SUCH AS THE 
INTERNET. THEY SAY ONE REASON COULD BE THAT AFRICAN LEADERS MAY 
FEEL THREATENED BY THE INABILITY TO CONTROL THE FREEDOM OF ACCESS
TO INFORMATION AND IDEAS THAT THE INTERNET PROVIDES. 

AMOLO NG'WENO, VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF "AFRICA 
ON-LINE'S ABIDJAN HEADQUARTERS, SAYS POLITICAL LEADERS IN KENYA, 
GHANA AND IVORY COAST HAVE WELCOMED THE COMPANY. SHE BELIEVES 
AFRICAN LEADERS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY RECEPTIVE TO 
ADVANCEMENTS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS.

         WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT BOTH FROM THE (IVORIAN) 
         GOVERNMENT AND THE TELEPHONE COMPANY--CI-TELECOM. THE 
         PRIME MINISTER, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, MADE A SPEECH WHERE 
         HE STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNET FOR IVORY 
         COAST.  AT OUR LAUNCH, WE WILL BE EXPECTING 
         THE MINISTER OF ECONOMICS AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE THE 
         GUEST OF HONOR AND WE ARE EXPECTING FOUR OTHER MINISTERS
         TO ATTEND. AND I THINK IT IS A SIGN THAT THE GOVERNMENT 
         IS VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNET
         AND SUPPORT OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE IN THIS BUSINESS. 

SEVERAL COMMERCIAL AND DIPLOMATIC INTERESTS ARE 
COMPETING TO BRING THE WORLD OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO AFRICA.
FRANCE IS HELPING SOME OF ITS FORMER COLONIES BY PROVIDING THE 
USE OF INTERNET SERVERS THROUGH ITS DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION 
PROGRAMS.

THE UNITED STATES, THROUGH THE SO-CALLED LELAND 
INITIATIVE, IS COMBINING FEDERAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR EXPERTISE TO 
HELP INTRODUCE THE LATEST TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TO MORE 
THAN ONE-DOZEN NATIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. 

AYISI MAKATIANI, PRESIDENT OF "AFRICA ON-LINE," SAYS THE 
NAIROBI-BASED COMPANY IS NOW THE LARGEST INTERNET PROVIDER IN 
EAST AFRICA.  HE SAYS THE COMPANY IS MOVING INTO WEST AFRICA WITH
ITS OPENING IN IVORY COAST AND COULD BEGIN SERVICE IN SOUTHERN 
AFRICA BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.  MR. MAKATIANI SAYS HE HOPES TO
EXPAND HIS COMPANY TO PROVIDE SERVICES THROUGHOUT AFRICA.

         AT SOME STAGE, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO BE ON THE 
         WHOLE OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. SO THAT INCLUDES 
         NORTHERN AFRICA AND OTHER COUNTRIES, LIKE SENEGAL. BUT 
         WE HAVE  NOT  MOVED INTO THOSE COUNTRIES YET.

"AFRICA ON-LINE" IS A SUBSIDIARY OF THE U-S-BASED "PRODIGY" 
COMPANY.  WITH MORE THAN ONE-MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, "PRODIGY" IS 
ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST PROVIDERS OF INTERNET SERVICES. 

Source: Voice of America

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