This article is an abomination
The only colonialist things this article identifies are the smug prejudices that of Tobias Mann and The Register itself.
The story here is one of massive growth in demand for tech and connectivity in Africa and Lat Am. As even bloody Microsoft recognises, "one of the most important markets in the world, with the fastest growing population, projected to grow from 1.4 billion to almost 1.7 billion by 2030. It’s the youngest continent in the world with a median age of under 20 and 60% of the population under the age of 25." The projects announced are being executed in partnership with African tech companies and in response to African consumers' demand.
And yet Mann has written this article through the lens of colonialism (which ended 65 years ago in Ghana, where one of the projects is located) and presents African and Lat Am consumers and techies as mere unsophisticated objects, without agency, who will be grateful for blankets.
Did he bother speaking to any African tech companies that will be executing the projects? Did he seek comment from African techies about their markets? No, he just relied on press releases from Seattle and Silicon Valley. Perhaps if he HAD made the effort to speak to those people, he wouldn't have used such condescending, outdated, colonialist arseburgers.