Building the African Information Infrastructure (original) (raw)

Building the African information society

International Journal of Technology Management, 2009

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has introduced many changes over the last decades causing a socioeconomic evolution based on information acquisition and knowledge dissemination. It helped create an emerging global information-based society with innovative means of communication that can help in increasing competitiveness for individuals, organisations and societies. ICT has helped generate new forms and structures of business, social and economic entities that are no longer bound by geographic or time constraints, but instead depend mainly on being connected all the time. This article addresses the efforts taking place in Africa to minimise the digital gap and actively join the global information society. Many African nations have invested heavily in building their ICT infrastructure to help improve the readiness of their communities and this article provides an overview of some of the projects implemented to build the African information society while demonstrating some the lessons learned and experiences acquired.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Africa: A Technology Perspective

Bridging the Digital Divide in Africa: A Technology Perspective

In an attempt to qualify technologies that may assist bridge the digital divide, this paper examines the relationship between the digital divide and different current technologies as well as the up-to-date status of the digital gap in Africa using statistics provided by the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU). Looking at this imbalance of accessing information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a complex multi-faceted problem, we build upon different deployments in Africa to propose best technological practices that can assist in eradicating the challenge. These include networking technologies implemented in Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa.

Underdeveloped ICT areas in Sub-Saharan Africa

2009

As universal service in terms of ICTs provision cannot be achieved in the times agreed for several international bilateral and multilateral aid organizations. It is important to create mechanisms to reduce the lack of use of ICTs in sub-Saharan African countries. This paper specifically analyses the different ICT underdeveloped areas in the sub-Saharan African countries and the factors explain such status. At the same time, the paper proposes a set of policy guidelines that might help improving the current situation in several areas such as investment, employment, infrastructure and technology in order that some countries may overcome unfavourable ICT development. The main research question is: is there any chance that sub-Saharan African countries can overcome the critical situation in which they currently are? And if so, what are the key components and processes to develop and to do changes. In this way, a proposed framework is provided for the examination of policy makers, investors, and other stakeholders in the ICT field in these countries. and Management of Technology and MA in Financial Systems. Dr Avila has more than 13 years of experience in the ICT sector demonstrated by several government jobs at senior and middle management levels, including in the UK, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain, employment with various private firms, including British Telecom, Lloyds Bank, Hewlett Packard, McKinsey and other consultancies. He has also been a tutor and researcher at Diplo Foundation (based in Switzerland), which is a non-government organisation dedicated to create capacity building for developing countries in the field of Internet technologies.

Special Issue on ICT for Africa Development: An Introduction and Framework for Research

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 2016

This write up presents works that are done in the field of ICT for the development of Africans. Based on the vast array of development challenges faced by the African continent, the paper presents research areas that have attracted African researchers but also defines open development issues that need to be addressed for the transformation of African societies. These open issues include law enforcement, development of IT infrastructures, the training of African youth in the use of ICT tools to tackle development problems, the adoption of ICT in African daily life and the development of ICT tools based on the African context. If these challenges are seriously taken into consideration by African researchers and policy makers, the development of the continent will be a matter of time associated to the achievement of the goals of launched activities. For this to become true there is a strong requirement that Africans defeat corruption. This editorial piece presents corruption as one of the most important impediment to the successful implementation of IT projects.

Information and Communication Technologies in Africa: Levels, Trends and Perspectives

Advances in 21st Century Human Settlements, 2019

The ICTs revolution has caused profound upheavals in various aspects around the world including Africa. Whatever form they take, ICT-induced changes may have significant implications not only in the sector itself but also in all development sectors. The changes in the ICT sector in Africa are part of an international dynamic resulting from the combination of liberalization policies, incredible technological advances and strong consumer demand. This chapter presents the levels, trends and perspectives of Information and Communication Technologies in the African region. This chapter proceeds first with a literature review on regulatory policies in order to understand their ripple effects. After presenting a general history of ICTs, it analyses the evolving factors of internet connection in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also presents the internet perspectives and regulation in Africa including technologies trends as well as key technologies. It also assesses and proposes types of technologies...