A Cisco official says Africa is facing a huge shortage of trained IT officials. (1.3 million by 2012!) Microsoft came to a similar conclusion when it held its expo in the region last month (and vowed to create vast training facilities there). Whether there is a legit looming shortage, or whether the vendors are investing in training for other reasons, no matter. This is the kind of growth and development that is good for all concerned. The more IT training and resources the region can create, the bigger the potentail market for IT vendors. But the push to grab Africa as the "new China" has long begun. InDecember, Cisco opened its fifth sub-Saharan Africa office in Kenya, a training facility, and said it planned similar offices in Nigeria, Cameroon, Dakar, and South Africa.

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