From the telegraph to the internet, technological progression over the years has proved the importance of communication. Bridging the digital divide is essential to close the gap between rich and poor, promoting economic growth and access to geographical areas so that information and opportunities are attained.
As SA and Africa embark on a journey to move the region's economies upward, access to information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is key.
SA has just hosted the International Telecommunication Union Telecom World Conference in Durban, where one of the major highlights was the announcement that the much-anticipated Cape to Cairo high-speed fibre network has gone live.
Often referred to as "the One Africa" broadband network, it is a 60,000km network that stretches from Cape Town to Egypt and is expected to connect Africans to one another in an affordable and meaningful way.
It is anticipated that the Cape to Cairo network will provide high-speed broadband aimed at bringing economic and social benefits to Africa's more than 1.3-billion people.
This ground-breaking initiative could not have come at a better time.
AU member states recently agreed to the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to create a single market for goods and services with free movement of business people and investments in our continent. The free trade area will enable Africa to become one of the largest economies in the world and enhance its capacity to interact on equal terms with other international economic blocs.
We agreed on this continent-wide free trade because we are inspired by a common resolve to establish one Africa that is prosperous and at peace with itself.
There is therefore no doubt that the Cape to Cairo network initiative is closely connected to Africa's development goals and takes our continent forward in its quest for sustainable development and economic growth.
It is our hope that the Cape to Cairo network initiative will build on the improved economic development prospects and potential in Africa and promote social and economic development and people-to-people relations, as well as deepen integration, improve communication and allow us to compete more effectively in the global economy.
If Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions, we need to think differently about how we interact with each other. There is no single country that can prosper on its own. We need to work with and build on each other.
We are optimistic that the Cape to Cairo network initiative will offer us this opportunity to connect as a continent in a much better way.
Liquid Telecom, the Midrand-based company that started the Cape to Cairo fibre network, notes that the rollout has the potential to deliver a great deal for African countries.
The ever-growing penetration of smartphones in Africa has led to more demand for terrestrial fibre.
The demand for internet and data services, both in SA and Africa, has ballooned over the past few years. It is estimated that mobile broadband users in Africa could grow to 806-million by the end of 2018.
We are also mindful of the fact that, without access to the internet, the people of SA, particularly those in poor communities, may not be able to take full advantage of the opportunities that come with ICT.
The ICT industry is one of the most crucial elements in the realisation of the objectives of the National Development Plan. The government also views ICT as a means to facilitate the inclusive socioeconomic transformation of SA.
Just over half the people in SA are connected to the internet. As a country, we are determined to change this. We are forging ahead with plans to connect 22-million South Africans to the internet by 2020.
Through the Internet for All initiative that was launched at the World Economic Forum in 2015, we aim to accelerate internet access to all unconnected people in SA.
Critical in moving forward is the need to invest in research and development, digital literacy and localised content production. In all this, young people must remain central in the entire value chain.
I am confident that together, taking advantage of innovations and opportunities that come with ICT, we can make the fourth industrial revolution work for us and not against us.
• Mokonyane is minister of communications..