A consistent theme in many articles in 2001 was the amazing growth of cyber-cafes in the main cities of African countries. Below we have two special reports - one from Ghana, the other from Kenya - that provide a more detailed look at this phenomenon. The success (or otherwise) of African cyber-cafes provides an interesting prism through which to look at how quickly the use of e-mail and internet might grow in Africa and where the key constraints lie. Both articles identify a common problem: the over-supply of cyber-cafes. Russell Southwood asks which cyber-cafes willsurvive in 2002 and why?