Sub-Saharan Africa is a non-entity for many of those at the cutting edge of Western technology. But Africa is intent on bridging the digital divide. In the first of a new series, BBC News Online visits a technology fair in Ghana.
Aitec – West Africa’s version of the world’s largest computer fair, Cebit – embraces the whole spectrum of technology firms.
Potential clients heading for a more detailed examination of VSAT satellite communication links are stopped by enthusiastic salesmen offering personal computers on three-year hire purchase schemes.
A Nigerian firm offering casing for hardware finds itself next to multinational electronics giant Siemens, which is installing fibre optic links for the government.
British techies extolling the benefits of banking via mobile phones are rubbing shoulders with Ghanaians offering sound cards for home music studios.
While the movers and shakers of Cebit would possibly tut in despair at the haphazard nature and backwardness of much of the exhibition, Africa’s untapped potential has offered some entrepreneurs enviable business opportunities.
Source: GhanaWeb
