At the Connect Africa Summit in October 2007, a good deal of focus was placed on the need for Africa to get connected to the global network through broadband and mobile connectivity. The hope is that expansion in these areas will strengthen Africa’s economy as a whole and allow the continent to become a major player in the global market.

At the Summit, Microsoft and the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union (also known as ITU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that they would work together to build an information society that was safe and inclusive for all countries. They also launched an ITU Global view. This earth-based online platform will help accelerate and track the goals of a more connected Africa.

The partnership has agreed to help with the skills development and capacity building programs throughout Africa, as well as the delivery of the services needed to support these programs. This also includes a way for the different investors in Africa to track the new developments online, as well as a commitment to work on cyber-security and regulations in the developing continent.

The Connect Africa plan calls for the private sector to step up to the plate and get the technologies implemented, and many are encouraged by the roles that Microsoft and the ITU will play in making the vision a reality.

The plans outlined at the Summit will have a huge impact on the developing economy in Africa. Bringing the Internet to over five billion people is no small task, and will require the support of several international organizations, the different African governments, and the private sector that is already connected. The development of the technologies alone will help create new jobs and opportunities for the people involved.

Global View, the on-line visualization program, was also introduced at the Summit. This program combines the current and new data sources for information and communications technology development on a global scale. It will help keep track of the goals set up at the Summit for a more connected Africa.

The software was developed with the help of IDV Solutions. Designed to be easy to view, the ITU will help maintain and host the program. Anyone who is a part of the Connect Africa program, including stakeholders, governments, industry leaders, organizations, and the private sector will be able to access it. This allows the users to see which goals are being met, which programs are overlapping unnecessarily, and where there are gaps that need to be filled.