Feb 26, 2001 - Mar 24, 2001
African Perspectives: Africa, the Digital Divide and Development
In 2001, AAI organized and moderated an online discussion series, Africa, the Digital Divide and Development. The role of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in development has recently been the source of much debate. For instance, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2001, South African President Thabo Mbeki announced his Millennium Africa Renaissance Programme, which included a significantly increasing investment in the African ICT sector in order to bridge the digital divide. In contrast, that same year Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, argued against the centrality of technology to development, saying, "the world's poorest two billion people desperately need healthcare, not laptops." The online discussion brought together 68 AAI alumni and friends from more than 30 African countries and the United States to discuss the following topics:
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Can technology fuel development in Africa?
- Innovative uses of ICTs in Africa
Summary of Online Discussion
In the first session of the African Perspectives Online discussion, which focused on the question "Can technology fuel development in Africa?", many participants stated that progress in such areas as health care and education is inextricably linked to increased deployment and better application of ICT. Some said effective application of technology could contribute positively to efforts to meet primary development needs, thereby speeding the overall development process. Despite the high initial costs of ICT implementation, participants felt that these costs would be offset in the long run as efficient communication and information-sharing systems decreased the costs of development. Some cautioned that greater African political will and leadership must also be brought to bear if ICT implementation is to succeed.
Some participants suggested that if it weren't for globalization, ICT would not be the top development priority in Africa. But, given the speed with which the international community is adopting ICT, Africans have no choice but to join in. Failing to adopt technology will mean an irreversible loss of competitiveness in the international arena. One participant effectively illustrated this by saying that the ICT "train" was already moving and it will be a challenge for Africa to "jump on." But, if Africa waits any longer, the train will be moving even faster and it will be even harder to jump on. Another participant compared African leaders' failure to adopt ICT to the decision by leaders of the early independence movement to ignore industrial development in order to concentrate on agricultural development. Now, forty years later, Africa is challenged with trying to catch up with the international industrial sector.
Several participants expressed concern that development in the area of ICT would only benefit the wealthy and would therefore increase the gap between the rich and the poor within Africa. This was a risk, they felt, in part because the vast majority of Africans do not have the education to effectively make use of these technologies. In addition, there are high costs involved in obtaining the infrastructure and the education to make ICT work. Still, some participants felt that the apparent barrier to access to ICT by the poor would not be a significant problem. Although access might initially be limited to the wealthy in Africa, they felt that greater use of ICT in African society would ultimately benefit all members of society.
Finally, in the first session many participants emphasized that ICT are a tool, and not an end in itself. People must first choose to use the tools that ICT provide. Then, they must use them effectively. Application of ICT for their own sake can be a waste of money, some participants pointed out. To illustrate the concept of ICT as a tool, one participant cited the difference between being given fish and being taught how to fish. This participant suggested that other aid programs represented giving fish, whereas programs that introduced ICT were like a fishing-net–they introduced an element of sustainability in development efforts.
In the second session, which focused on "Innovative uses of ICT in Africa", participants looked at some specific examples of the use of ICT. Suggestions had been made earlier in the discussion that there is a need to ensure that technological development reaches the rural parts of Africa. In response to this, several participants recounted the use of solar panels in telecommunications and radio transmission as a cost-effective way to bypass the lack of rural electrical infrastructure. Mobile telephones were seen as meeting a similar need.
Others saw an immediate role for ICT in the medical field. Medical and technological development were seen a complimentary. Examples of this ranged from providing diagnostic and treatment information to rural health stations, to establishing partnerships with international health centers. Gates' argument that healthcare must come before technology was put to rest. A third area of ICT importance, participants suggested, is education at all levels and for both research and for training. In this regard, ICT was seen as a way to provide local and distance instruction, as well as providing learning materials, databases and electronic books at lower costs than the print versions.
A final role suggested for ICT is in the public sector, in encouraging good governance. By training civil servants in ICT use and improving reporting and recording of government information and activity, African governments could increase their transparency and decrease corruption.