Prospects for information technology in Africa

Abstract

Access to information and communications technologies is becoming increasingly critical for African community's participation in economic and political life at national, international and global levels1. Advances in electronic communication networks have created enormous opportunities for developing countries. A sizable number of African countries have already made progress in their Internet links that have put them on the global connectivity roadmap. Meanwhile, socio-economic problems continue to cripple equal access to information and communication technologies in African countries. The region continue to suffer from life threatening malnutrition, endemic and epidemic diseases, debilitating ignorance, continuous conflicts and bad performing economies2 that block the aspiration for increased information access. The resource at the disposal of governments are mostly directed to dealing with emergencies with little left for long-term investments in sectors that could trigger socioeconomic development. Education, information and communication are some of the sectors that need immediate attention for development in Africa. African governments face two challenges in the information and communication field, namely: provision of access for enhanced participation in economic life and coping with the challenges of rapidly advancing technology. What should African countries do to overcome these rather challenges? Which are the central technologies that bring advancement under current socio-economic situation? Is regional information infrastructure a possibility? This paper will focus on the prospects of information technology in Africa in the wake of the information society.