This report is the second in a series of regional statistical profiles on the information society being prepared by ITU in 2009, as input to the Regional Preparatory Meetings (RPMs) for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2010 (WTDC-10). The second RPM – for the African Region – takes place on 13-15 July 2009 and is hosted by the Government of Uganda.

During the past years, ICT developments in the African region have been characterized by high growth, and the number of mobile cellular subscriptions and Internet users has grown faster than in other regions of the world. However, Africa started out with very low ICT levels and despite rapid growth, in 2009, Africa’s ICT penetration levels are still far behind the rest of the world. Indeed, the digital divide between the African region and the rest of the world is much more pronounced than the divide within the region, with very few countries reaching ICT levels comparable to global averages.