[tt] NS: The father of the internet in Africa (Interview)

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The father of the internet in Africa (Interview)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19926681.900&print=true
8.8.6

* Curtis Abraham

The internet is as important to Africa's future as food and water.So says 
"the father of the internet in Africa", Ghanaianentrepreneur and computer 
scientist Nii Quaynor. He is evangelicalabout the power of computer 
literacy to bring about social andeconomic transformation, and his work 
won him the Internet Society'sprestigious Postel award. He talked to 
Curtis Abraham about hishopes for African "techno-liberation"
You've said that affordable computing in Africa is as important asbasic 
necessities like food and clean water. That's a controversialviewpoint.
Africans need food, water and so on, but we also need affordablecomputing. 
This will help us to feed ourselves and provide otherbasic necessities 
such as education, housing and sanitation, and indoing so bring about 
socio-economic development. Take large-scalewater supply in Africa, for 
example. This requires networkedcomputing resources and it is the absence 
of this capacity thatcreates a vicious cycle of dependence on foreign aid 
and failure ofservice delivery. Long discussions about water or food 
areimmaterial, in my opinion, if we don't also embrace the internet 
andcomputer technology.
So you think that "digital rights" are strongly related to 
humandevelopment and human rights?
The impact of a gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" in 
aknowledge-based global economy may be devastating. Digital rightsare not 
too far from a right to education, for instance. I believethat Africa is 
about to miss a great development opportunity, inmuch the same way as it 
lost out in the industrial revolution,unless serious and committed efforts 
are made by Africa to addressthe rapid expansion of the digital divide.
How did you help bring the internet to Africa?
In 1988 I established a networking company called Network ComputerSystems 
(NCS) and by 1994 it had become the first company in WestAfrica to operate 
internet services.
How many Africans are now online?
At the moment, almost 5 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africahave 
access to the internet, and these are mainly people inmetropolitan areas 
with good education. At this level, Africa cannotboast of having narrowed 
the digital divide between the developedand developing world, but we can 
claim to have achieved this much,from scratch, in a decade and that's good 
momentum for Africa.
We are trying to extend internet use to the other 95 per cent. I 
seepromise in the convergence of cellphones and internet. This wouldsave 
duplication and focus investment, and would also simplify theskills 
needed. We also need to find ways of improving communityaccess, such as 
cybercafes, or even a mobile one like a bus with awireless internet 
connection which collects and delivers emails whenit passes.
What was life like for you growing up in Ghana during the 1950s and60s?
Life was good growing up in Ghana. My family experienced noparticular 
hardships at the time, although the instability of thecoup in 1966 caused 
many students to move overseas for education. Ileft Ghana three years 
after the coup for the US for my universityeducation. However, this wasn't 
because of the coup. I was simplyfollowing a line of brothers who all went 
overseas to university.
Why did you choose to study science?
I was the youngest in a family of scientists and although my fatherdid not 
have a university education, my siblings included an eyesurgeon, a 
dentist, a wood technologist and a highway civilengineer. I admired all my 
elder brothers, who taught me a lot.
As a young African in the midst of the civil rights movement in theUS, did 
you experience an enormous culture shock?
The culture shock was there, but my purpose in going to the US wasto 
acquire knowledge so it was easy to adjust. I arrived atDartmouth College 
in New Hampshire in 1969, when the civil rightsmovement was bringing about 
racial integration at the universities.Naturally, I was always among a 
small group of Africans andAfrican-Americans who faced the challenges of a 
new intellectualworld. So, in spite of the racial and social atmosphere 
during theearly 1970s, the academic community encouraged those who 
wantededucation. There was harmony when I studied.
Did the civil rights struggle affect your ideas about the future ofAfrica?
It brought attention to Africa's potential for participation in theglobal 
economy. Naturally, the civil rights movement also remindedme of my 
African roots and the fact that I had become part of thediaspora. It also 
reminded me that only Africans could liberate anddevelop Africa. This 
inspired me to want to help my people in myarea of expertise. It planted 
in me a desire and dedication toacquire knowledge for the liberation and 
development of Africa.
So you decided to return to Africa?
The information and communication-technology revolution was underway, and 
I wanted to do something about the daunting digital dividebetween Africa 
and the rest of the world. As one of the first PhDsin computer science on 
the African continent, and the first inGhana, I returned to establish a 
department of computer science atthe University of Cape Coast in 1979. 
Later, I decided to branch outinto business, to translate my academic work 
into practice.
Did the influential Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah's dream of makingscience 
and technology the key to socio-economic development have animpact on you?
Yes, but others such as Nelson Mandela also steered my focus 
towardsachieving "techno-liberation". It is evident that lack of 
technicalknow-how means that Africa depends on foreign experts to 
moveforward in computer technology. Like both Nkrumah and Mandela, I 
amcertain that Africa has to own its development processes. A lack 
ofspecialised knowledge means that Africans are using computer andinternet 
systems that they are not involved in producing.
You received the Postel award in 2007, in part for championingAfrican 
involvement in international internet policies. Why did youtake on this 
role?
I chose the role of getting Africa more technically educated, and 
animportant part of this is for Africa to be more involved in 
globaltechnical policy processes. Internet policies have an effect 
oneconomic development. I am glad to have contributed to getting 
moreAfricans involved. I donated the $20,000 honorarium that 
accompaniedthe award to help establish a fund called The Africa Fund 
forCapacity Building, Research and Internet Development. This willsupport 
young internet engineers with their education and research.
The One Laptop per Child project, which aims to produce a $100laptop, has 
just launched its latest product, the X0-2. What do youthink of this?
Lower-cost user interfaces are necessary for increased use of theinternet 
for the benefit of Africa, and this is a welcomedevelopment. But this 
price will still be a barrier to access,because $100 is a lot of money 
when many earn less than $1 a day.

Profile
Born and schooled in Ghana, Nii Quaynor studied engineering scienceat 
Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He received a PhD in computerscience 
in 1977 from the State University of New York at StonyBrook, then joined 
Digital Equipment Corporation. In 1979 he set upthe computer science 
department at the University of Cape Coast inGhana, where he is now a 
professor. He founded the IT companyNetwork Computer Systems in Ghana in 
1988.

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* http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19426096.300
* 20 June 2007
* Hackers have poor nations' PCs in their sights
* http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19626345.700
* 15 December 2007
* Africa focus: Foundations for a prosperous future
* http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18625064.600
* 02 July 2005
* Out of Africa and onto the Internet
* http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg15220521.500
* 19 October 1996

Weblinks

* Nii Quaynor, Wikipedia
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nii_Quaynor
* Press release: Nii Quaynor Awarded Postel Award 2007
* http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-11dec07.htm
* Africa's digital rights
* http://www.unicttaskforce.org/thirdmeeting/documents/Africa%20Digital%20Rights-Quaynor.htm
* Network Computer Systems
* http://www.ncs.com.gh/

E-mail me if you have problems getting the referenced articles.