Michael Malakata

By providing access to a Web-based community mapping tool and data, World Bank and Google are aiming to improve the ability of African and other developing countries to monitor public services and respond to disasters.

Google has agreed to provide the World Bank and its partner organizations -- including governments and U.N. agencies -- with access to Google Map Maker underlying geospatial data including detailed map information on more than 150 countries.

The government of Malawi has shut down news websites and social media networks including Twitter and Facebook and has blocked signals from radio stations in a bid to stop the coordination of demonstrations that have so far left more than 18 people dead.

The Malawian government, through the telecom sector regulator, the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA), this week ordered ISPs (Internet service providers) to shut down and radio stations to desist from live broadcasts of the protests, claiming such coverage may incite violence.

Unsuspecting Africans using online banking services are being swindled by scammers since the killing of Osama Bin Laden was announced last month.

The scammers have been tricking people in the region into downloading compressed files that supposedly show a gruesome photo of Bin Laden after being shot by American forces. The files carry the so-called Banload Trojan, which can download software to monitor online banking sessions and direct online payments into wrong accounts.

As mobile service providers compete for the data market in Africa, manufacturers are scrambling for deals to supply data-enabled handsets, a move that will likely reduce the cost of mobile devices in the region.

Africa's subscriber base for voice communication is still growing but the growth curve has begun to flatten in the region's more mature markets, forcing operators to compete more aggressively on the provision of data services even in rural areas.

Rwanda launched the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program on Sunday with the distribution of 5,000 laptops in a bid to transition the country's education system from blackboard and chalk to digital.

The use of computers in Rwandan schools will have a great impact on the country's education system, said Minister of Primary and Secondary School Education Theoneste Mutsindashyaka.