Ethiopia’s Struggle for Connection As the Internet grows at an exponential rate, the digital divide has attracted a lot of attention to bridge the gap of information around the world. Africa as a whole is the world’s region with the lowest penetration rate. Among the worst countries, Ethiopia has an internet penetration rate of 1.9% as of 2015. (Manor) This number accounts not only for the number of users but discounts the quality of the connection and the cost of access, which yields further inequalities. Over ninety million people inhabit this land, though it is a digital hermit nation. (Lynch) According to one source, the technology levels in Ethiopia are way too low and there is a major digital lag. Where information and communication
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On Twitter, Ethiopia’s ministry has 34.6 thousand followers, while Kenya’s has 52.8 thousand followers. They are active account holders, but there is almost no engagement or interaction because there is no audience viewing these profiles. (Manor) To help bridge the divide in Ethiopia, Internet Society has taken steps toward connecting this country with the rest of the world. Ethiopia is one of eleven community-based Internet projects working to enhance the Internet ecosystem in the community. The Community Grants were awarded twice each year and recipients receive up to ten thousand US dollars to implement their projects. The project was named “Internet and Quality of Life Divide”, which will ‘provide research for an evidence-based ICT policy to help bridge the Internet divide in Ethiopia’. …show more content…
Programs to help the country are few and far between with little funding to work with. Even if the country did gain access, this would mean the government would have to step down as far as its policies regarding the net and provide ways to access the online world through ICTs. This will probably not happen for a long while and there is no guarantee that it will at all, but hopefully Ethiopia will attract more attention towards this issue of the digital divide and receive more support. If the majority of the people gain access to the Internet, will they be able to freely search and state as they please? Only time will
On Twitter, Ethiopia’s ministry has 34.6 thousand followers, while Kenya’s has 52.8 thousand followers. They are active account holders, but there is almost no engagement or interaction because there is no audience viewing these profiles. (Manor) To help bridge the divide in Ethiopia, Internet Society has taken steps toward connecting this country with the rest of the world. Ethiopia is one of eleven community-based Internet projects working to enhance the Internet ecosystem in the community. The Community Grants were awarded twice each year and recipients receive up to ten thousand US dollars to implement their projects. The project was named “Internet and Quality of Life Divide”, which will ‘provide research for an evidence-based ICT policy to help bridge the Internet divide in Ethiopia’. …show more content…
Programs to help the country are few and far between with little funding to work with. Even if the country did gain access, this would mean the government would have to step down as far as its policies regarding the net and provide ways to access the online world through ICTs. This will probably not happen for a long while and there is no guarantee that it will at all, but hopefully Ethiopia will attract more attention towards this issue of the digital divide and receive more support. If the majority of the people gain access to the Internet, will they be able to freely search and state as they please? Only time will