18/12/2019 (Agence Europe) – The EU has decided to allocate an additional €30 million to the AfricaConnect project, which aims to provide affordable and high-capacity Internet access to research and education networks in Africa. Contracts were signed on Wednesday 18 December to support the third phase of the project (AfricaConnect3). "Affordable high-speed broadband connectivity will enable African youth, students, and researchers to boost collaborative scientific research with their peers around the world to help them tackle challenges in Africa", said International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, quoted in a statement. Application development for virtual classes or massive open online courses will reduce the digital divide. Since its launch in 2014, AfricaConnect has enabled over 800 higher education and research institutions to be connected. (AN)