Zambia, Botswana get connected

Zambian telecommunications company Zamtel and the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation have agreed to connect the two nations with a universal fibre-optic cable to boost Internet connectivity, reports The Citizen Tanzania.

The joint telecommunications project will cost $258 000 and is expected take between three to four months to be built.

Zamtel CEO Amon Jere says the project would help reduce the cost of international connectivity and improve the quality and speed of Internet services.

China plans to expand and deepen economic and trade cooperation with African countries, states People's Daily Online.

Zhong Manying, director of the West Asian and Africa division under the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, points out that the China-Africa trade cooperation has expanded to include finance, telecommunications, tourism, shipping, environmental protection and clean energy.

Over the past 10 years, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly from $10.6 billion in 2000 to $91 billion in 2009.

Kenyan software developers hit international headlines after winning the Nokia Growth Economy Venture Challenge and a regional contest, dubbed Apps4Africa, says Business Daily Africa.

The three winners of the Apps4Africa competition got the attention of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who congratulated them for creating applications that will solve African problems in agriculture, health and governance.

Two weeks ago, John Waibochi won Nokia's Growth Economy Venture where he was awarded $1 million from mobile manufacturer Nokia for his software creation.