New technology can prove an empowering experience but there are no guarantees that poorer countries in Africa will benefit, the Highway Africa '99 conference has been told.

In an example of the positive effect the Internet is having, Malawian journalist Raphael Tenthani told the conference about how individual freelancers and small groups of journalists are able to interact with the media globally.

He said freelance journalists are able to send their stories around the world via e-mail, without being censored by government officials - and for a fraction of the costs of other more accessible technology.

Mr Tenthani uses a cyber caf� in Blantyre to research and e-mail his stories, because he does not have a personal computer or telephone and writes for the Senegal-based Pan African News Agency (Pana), the BBC and Associated Press (AP).

"The Internet affords me the opportunity to widen my horizons as a freelance writer because it has drastically reduced communication costs," he said.

Whereas it used to cost him US$3 a page just to fax a story - and even more for the international phone call - he now pays a $50 flat rate for a six-month e-mail subscription at the cyber caf� - irrespective of time spent online e-mailing.

Entrenching the divide

Despite the enormous potential benefits of new technology, analysts predict the lack of Internet connectivity could easily entrench the divide between the rich and poorer countries in Africa and the world.

According to Sunday Times online editor Tanya Accone: "At the moment the Internet does not accurately reflect the experience of the African user because the average Internet user is still largely privileged and white."

"At the moment (the Internet) is a medium of the few. We are trying to turn it into a medium of the many," she told the conference.

However, she believes there are exciting initiatives such as Soweto Digital Village in Johannesburg providing the community with opportunities to develop computer and entrepreneurial skills, and School-Net SA, an NGO expanding the use of the Internet in South African schools.

Grassroots plans

Uganda-based freelance journalist Wairagala Wakabi told the conference that his country had one of the worst telephone penetration rates in the world with only 0.23 phone lines per 100 inhabitants. Most of these telephone lines are concentrated in the capital Kampala and a few other urban centres.

He said that the biggest challenge facing Uganda was how to provide Internet access to schoolchildren in the rural areas, disadvantaged communities, grassroots women's groups, policy makers and the media.

There are groups trying to tackle this. The Canadian International Development Research Centre, IDRC, is spearheading an initiative called Acacia in Uganda to introduce information and technology communities (ITCs) through telecentres - making new technology available at grassroots.

Mr Wakabi said the World Bank, in its 1998/99 World Development Report, emphasised how crucial knowledge can be to development.

The report states: "Knowledge about how to prevent the transmission of Aids can save millions from debilitating illness and premature death" and a key to combat this is information access through the Internet.

The conference brought together about 140 journalists, scholars, Internet experts and web publishers from 15 different countries to discuss "Media, democracy, development and the Internet". Click here to see more detailed reports on Highway Africa '99