Covid-19: Embrace broadband internet, Envoy tells Africans

Mr. Assem Elseify, Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, has entreated most African countries to take a quantum leap in embracing internet broadband in the face of coronavirus pandemic.

The ambassador to Nigeria, gave this advice in Abuja during an interview session with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of a zoom webinar with the theme, ”MADE IN AFRICA”.

The webinar session was reported to have unravelled investment opportunities and potentials of African countries, the various investment strategies in place to attract external investors into the country as well as testimonies around the continent.

Elseify asserted that the huge African human capital has the propensity to turn around the fortune of African’s economy for the better in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, his speech was graced with Africa’s internet frequency. According to him, her internet speed is very slow and poor compared to the rest of the world.

Data shows that 17 of the 30 countries with the slowest internet connections are located in Africa, seven in Asia, six in South America and one in Oceania.

He further stressed in a research that it takes about 18.5 hours to download a 7.5 GB file in Malawi, 14 hours in Egypt, and 18 minutes in Singapore which is considered to have been the fastest speed in the world.

The ambassador said that the success of any internet penetration would apparently boost the sectors such as economy, power supply, agriculture, and education which is the bedrock of any economy.

Elseify urged all African governments to invest more in the internet sector for the benefit of the citizens, adding that it would massively impact the socio-economic standard of development in all ramifications.