Johannesburg - Google is scaling up investment in Africa
by laying fibre optic cable, easing access to cheaper Android phones and
training a workforce in digital skills as the US technology giant seeks to
expand on the continent.
“We laid about 1 000 kilometres of fibre in Uganda and we
are busy doing about 1 000 kilometres in Ghana,’’ Google’s South Africa head
Luke McKend said in a phone interview. “We want to make sure that we cover all
the bases. We want to train people and make sure that they have the devices and
are able to connect to the internet.’’
About 1 million people in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa
have been trained by Google over the past year, yet many had to complete their
courses with limited internet access due to unreliable coverage and high data
prices, McKend said. The Mountain View, California-based company is now turning
its attention to web-focused skills training for small businesses across
Africa, he said.
Alongside US competitors including Facebook, Google is
seeking to boost connectivity on the continent to prise open a new market
for smartphones and services such as web search and social media. Younger
consumers in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly demanding quicker internet
speeds and cheaper phones to go about their business, while local wireless
operators including MTN Group and Vodacom Group see the digital space as their
fastest-growing market.
Facebook’s plan
Facebook last month said it plans almost 805 kilometres
of fibre cable in Uganda, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg met technology businessmen
in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa last year. The company planned to launch a
satellite to extend internet access too rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa, but
the plan was scuppered when a SpaceX rocket connected to the initiative blew up
in Florida.
Google, a unit of Alphabet is running African trials for
its Project Loon, which uses solar-powered balloons to connect people in rural
or remote places. The company will also provide offline versions of its
training courses in languages including Swahili, IsiZulu and Hausa.
“Africa is an important and growing market, and we want
to be involved in the entire ecosystem and cover the continent from all the
different angles,’’ McKend said.