The growth of digital communication and information technologies in Africa in the past five years has been dramatic, but it started from a very low base and Africa remains the least connected region of the world. African governments struggling to shake off their developing-nation status see the digital revolution as helping to pave the way for an economic and social revolution.

The per capita costs involved in putting a small town online make profitable sense for the private sector - the challenge, though, lies in connecting remote rural locations. A one-per-cent levy on private companies is being used by nine African governments to build infrastructure, erecting mobile-phone masts and laying cables.



Some private-sector companies say that greater efficiencies and lower costs mean there is profit in accessing rural communities, and they say they're concerned that the money raised by the one-per-cent levy is not always ending up being spent where it should be.



Adam Mynott, BBC News, Nairobi





dramatic

sudden and very noticeable



it started from a very low base

at the beginning, communication and information technologies were hugely underdeveloped



the least connected

where more people have no access to telephones or computers than anywhere else in the world



struggling to shake off

trying very hard to get rid of



to pave the way for

to prepare for, to facilitate



per capita costs

the amount of money needed to connect each individual (the expression 'per capita' comes from Latin)



rural locations

places outside cities and towns, e.g. villages



levy

an amount of money, such as a tax, that you have to pay to a government or organization



greater efficiencies

when time and energy are used better than before and not wasted



profit

money earned by doing business or being involved in trade

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