Many of our clients are familiar with our website design and development portfolio. Fewer are aware of our consulting and research activities. For example, building on our pioneering background in Africa-wide Internet infrastructure and services (see Africa Online’s history), we were privileged to carry out World Bank- and IDRC-funded research on the cost and availability of Internet connectivity at African universities across the continent. These studies, which we carried out in 2004 (view report here, and earlier reports here) and updated in 2006 (view report here), concluded that “Internet connectivity in tertiary institutions in Africa can be characterized as too little, too expensive and poorly managed.” We recommended the creation of bandwidth-buying consortia as one viable approach to improving the situation.

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Botswana’s American Business Council (ABC) is a member-driven non-profit organization dedicated to increasing trade and investment between Botswana and the United States of America. Clearly, information dissemination and exchange is a crucial element of such an initiative. With the recent launch of it’s website (click here to view), ABC hopes to increase its effectiveness through better and more timely communications with members and the general public. In addition to the standard organizational information, the website showcases ABC’s highly successful public events such as seminars and includes a photo gallery and list of member organizations.