Professor Nii Narko Quaynor, a Ghanaian scientist and engineer, is Africa’s high-tech entrepreneur. He is regarded as the father of Africa’s internet because he was responsible for making sure Africa was not left behind during the internet revolution.
Prof. Quaynor was the first person on the African continent to have internet accessibility. This is because he personally spearheaded the establishment of the continent’s first internet connectivity. He did this by setting up key organizations such as the African Network Operators Group, Value Added Networks, SWIFT (Global Financial Telecommunications) and other commerce technology systems that were all integral in making the internet available, accessible and above all, secure.
His passion for web development across Africa is paying off, thus, he’s being recognized for it. For instance, with the internet connectivity, Africa is beginning to enjoy more effective communication in governance and a host of other institutions.
In addition to the achievements of this ICT pioneer, Prof. Quaynor still hopes and keeps working towards more e-commercial activities from and in Africa. As an ICT high-profile personality and one of the founding members of the Computer Science Department at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a member of the United Nations Secretary-General Advisory Group on ICT; Prof. Quaynor has quite a number of prestigious positions in Africa’s digital community. For two decades, he devoted his talent and skill to the introduction and advancement of the internet in Africa. He has developed his skills and expertise working in several digital firms for quite a lot of years.
In 2013, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. He has served and been awarded for his position as the director of ICANN (2000). In fact, he made history by becoming the first African to be an ICANN board member.
Prof. Nii Narko Quaynor is now in the business of training capable hands in the ICT field for effective growth and prosperity in Africa.
If today we can boldly say that Africa is part and parcel of a global community, then be sure that we are merely benefiting from the ingenuity of quite a number of people, especially the likes of professor Nii Narko Quaynor. Thanks to this internet titan, Africa is not left behind in the growing world of the internet.
Telecommunications and commerce alone might not have brought Africa into the global map if the internet was not there, and Prof. Quaynor and other internet entrepreneurs did not come into the scene. Each has a distinct contribution to the versatility and progress of the internet in Africa. As much as these men are undeniably the giants, movers, and shakers of Africa’s internet society in their various capacities, some others’ efforts have become more resounding.
Aside from Prof. Quaynor, the Egyptian father of the internet is also worth mentioning in Africa’s internet success story.
Read Also: The Internet And Africa’s Reading Culture
Dr. Tarek Kamel Contributions To Africa’s Internet Accessibility
Dr. Tarek Kamel is an Egyptian web expert in global Internet governance issues. His main mission is to put Egypt and indeed Africa on the world internet map through persistent advocacy and advanced approach in the development of Africa’s internet.
He began his career as a network support engineer for the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. Over time, he rose to different positions which led to creating internet accessibility in Egypt.
The now 56-year-old was personally responsible for the establishment of Egypt’s first online connection. He also steered the introduction of commercial Internet services in his native land and founded the Internet Society of Egypt. Till date, he continues to encourage ICT start-ups in Egypt.
Owing to his wealth of expertise, Dr. Kamel has served in various national positions, including serving as the minister of communications and information technology as well as the chairman of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority and the National Telecommunication Institute.
He is a formidable force in Egypt’s telecommunications and is renowned for his seasoned wealth of experience in the digital world.
He is also a prominent figure in ICANN and the internet society. From ICANN’s records, it states that:
“During (Dr. Kamel) tenure as a Minister, he led a local and global team to formulate and implement a national strategy that positioned Egypt as a regional role model in call centres, Business Process Outsourcing, Knowledge Process Outsourcing and Innovation based services.”
