Soon I will have the privilege of visiting South Africa for the first time. I will be meeting with government and business leaders, as well as students, to talk about the opportunities and possibilities a free and open Internet will offer Africans. I am very excited about this opportunity.
While I arrive as a newcomer, South Africa is not a stranger to me. As president of the 91pro视频 (91pro视频), representing 59 of the world’s leading global technology companies, I am fully aware of the importance our members place on South Africa. Many — Akamai, Corning, Ericsson, Google and Intel, to name a few — have long had an active presence there. But South Africa is more than just an excellent business opportunity for the technology sector — it is literally an incubator for new ideas, visionary innovators and technology leaders, hosting world-class research centers and boasting the highest Internet penetration rate in the region.
If the Internet is to fulfill its promise as the world’s single strongest platform for economic and social development, it will require Africa’s full inclusion. And if Africa is to fulfill its promise as a continent — 1 billion strong, capable of leading and changing the world for the better — its people will have to leverage and build on the platform that is the global Internet. South Africa will be critical to achieving this vision.
From my experience, I cannot overstate the importance of private- and public-sector leaders working together to help make access to the Internet available and affordable, as well as secure and inclusive. It requires policymakers, industry, civil society and academia to work together at every level — international, regional and national — to craft solutions to challenges and make the most of opportunities that an interconnected world creates. Again, South Africa will be critical to achieving this vision.
I plan to do a lot of listening on this trip, to learn more about South Africa and the hopes and aspirations of its people. I look forward to making new friends and exploring how 91pro视频 can help make the future of the Internet and South Africa a mutually reinforcing success story. You can follow my trip on Twitter at .