A New Era of Internet: China-Africa Technology and Education Cooperation Helps Bridge Africa’s Digital Divide

2024 marks the 30th anniversary of China’s full access to the global internet and the 10th anniversary of the country’s cyber development strategy. As part of the Interview Series titled “A New Era of Internet”, Francis Acquah Amaning, President of the Internet Society Ghana Chapter, joined us for an in-depth interview.

Amaning notes that while China has made remarkable achievements in the internet sector, it has also deepened its collaboration with Africa in internet technology and education, advancing Africa’s internet development and bridging its digital divide.

Amaning highlights China’s progress in emerging technologies like autonomous driving and 6G, noting that many African countries, including Ghana, are still deploying 4G networks. He believes Africa can learn from China’s success in digitalization to accelerate its digital transformation.

China and Ghana have seen in recent years significant progress in internet cooperation. According to Amaning, after gaining valuable skills through study in China, many young Ghanaians return to Africa to enhance local technology and drive digital transformation in Ghana and beyond. Additionally, through infrastructure partnerships, China has simplified the tools and processes for infrastructure building, laying a solid hardware foundation for Africa’s digital transformation. “This is one of China’s key efforts to support Africa’s internet industry and plays a critical role in bridging the digital divide across the continent,” he said.