Gideon F. For-mukwai

The South African government recently signed a three-year deal worth 468 million rand (US$58.9 million) for Microsoft Corp. software and services, including Windows 2000, Office and Internet service.

Pan-continental ISP (Internet service provider) Africa Online Ltd. has acquired MenaNet Communications S.A.E. for US$7.8 million and is now offering service in Egypt.

Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) has expanded into Nigeria via MTN Nigeria Communication Ltd., as part of the company's US$1.14 billion planned spending spree over the next 10 years.

A group of Nigerian business and academic leaders has started a project aimed at bringing large-scale hardware and software manufacturing to the nation.

In the area of mobile communications, Cameroon has leapfrogged other countries in Africa with a US$36.6 million GSM wireless network infrastructure put together with technology from Ericsson South Africa, a unit of L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co. Ericsson rolled out GSM installations last week for a local South African-owned mobile operator in Cameroon, MTN Cameroon.

In an unprecedented move, Ghana's National Communication Authority (NCA) has shut down three ISPs that government officials allege were offering illegal voice-over-IP (Internet Protocol) technology in the West African country.

The South African minister of public enterprises has announced a sweeping plan to privatize state-owned companies, including telecommunications.

UUNet Technologies Inc. plans to expand its presence in Africa, rolling out Internet infrastructure in more than a dozen sub-Saharan African countries this year.