Google launches blog for sub-Sahara Africa

Google East Africa has launched an official blog that will cover "all things Google in sub-Saharan Africa."

The blog was launched last week, and according to information on the blog, the Africa team at Google will regularly monitor posts.

"This forum is open for all, and we encourage anyone interested to join it," the blog quoted Divon Lan, Google's product manager for sub-Saharan Africa, as saying.

In response to questions sent by e-mail, Lan said the purpose of the blog is to allow Google to share with its users and partners in Africa information regarding the various activities the company is undertaking in the region. These include product launches, partnerships and philanthropic activities.

The blog is an initiative of the Africa team at Google, Lan said. Some other regional teams -- such as those of Korea, Australia and Brazil -- are involved in similar efforts.

Over the past few months, Google has significantly ramped up its work in sub-Saharan Africa. The Internet behemoth now has offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Johannesburg, and Google is looking to hire more people across the continent.

Currently, Google is running an iGoogle gadget competition for computer science students at universities in East Africa. The company has also launched Google Maps data for Kenya.

In addition to the blog, Google has announced the Google Africa community discussion forum. The forum will allow Google users and partners to provide them with feedback and ideas to complete what the Africa team has called the "dialogue cycle."

"Using these tools, we hope to get much closer to our users throughout this vast continent," Lan said.

Google acknowledges the challenges of democratizing access to the world's information, Lan said, as the Internet is a transformational force for societies.

The company questions how the world's information will be made available in African languages, how players like Google can increase access in rural communities and how African content can be made more widely available.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.