The magic bullet

Many people have come to speak of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a magic bullet for developing countries to use to advance their social and economic development. …. Is the “leapfrogging” of development through ICTs feasible? The short answer … is Maybe . The slightly longer answer is We Are Trying to Figure This Out. And the most insightful answer from the people who devote their lives to these questions is We Really Hope So. (Geoffrey Kirkman, 1999).

Undoubtedly, the effective utilization of ICTs can lead to social and economic development. There is evidence of notable cases of how ICT is making positive impacts in the area of education, health, business, finance and women empowerment. These success cases are however too few if one was to compare to the development challenges which remain rather too many. There is indeed no magic bullet nor a one size fit all ICT solution to the myriad challenges facing the African continent. The use of ICT as a tool to advance social and economic development can only be made feasible when factors such as accessibility, local language content, affordability, literacy, responsibility(or local ownership of ICT project) become a norm in the implementation of ICT projects in the continent. Mastering the practicalities of these essential factors however remains largely work in progress. Until then the ICT sector remains a potentially powerful but yet mostly underutilised vehicle for development in the African continent.

A common scenario

The promises continue

The much anticipated SEACOM undersea cable has finally launched and has began operating. So far, the hype surrounding the anticipated changes in the African ICT landscape is being met with mixed reviews. The proponents of SEACOM are calling for patience: "the promised cheaper internet is just around the corner" seems to be the prevailing message. On the other hand, those who had expected miraculous price cuts and immediate increase in speed seem to convey messages of disappointments.

According to the SEACOM CEO,Brian Herlihy, the anticipated changes are most likely to become clearly visible over the coming years and not as immediate as some anticipate. "Turning the switch on creates a huge anticipation but ultimately, SEACOM will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years," he said. In the meantime SEACOM chairman, Nizar Juma continues to convey the incredibly optimistic promise "The SEACOM cable will change the lives of every man, woman and child in the countries connected by making previously unavailable technology accessible to everyone" says Mr. Juma.

In the end, only time will tell if the SEACOM promise falls under the many empty promises categories common in the African landscape or whether the SEACOM promise becomes one of rare cases where promises made are actually fulfilled.

An incredible promise

In less than a month, reliable telecommunications and affordable internet access might become a norm in the eastern and southern part of Africa. SEACOM, the highly anticipated deepwater fibre-optic is due to be completed and begin operating on the 27th of June 2009. To date Internet reaches less than 10% of the African population with the cost of internet often higher than that of many developed countries. The use of the satellite internet technology and the monopolistic telecommunication entities have been identified amongst the causes of this unfortunate state of ICT affairs in Africa.

The SEACOM high-speed fibre optic cable infrastructure will, in many parts, replace the use of satellites as the most effective method of deploying internet connectivity to the continent. As the first undersea fibre optics cable on the east coast of Africa, SEACOM is promising to completely transform the African ICT landscape and bring about positive changes such as facilitating development in education, healthcare, conservation sectors as well as significantly lowering the cost of doing business for African companies.

In addition, SEACOM promises that:
· The cable will improve digital communications and enable school and college students to study in virtual libraries and to visit counterparts in other countries. There will also be improved television signal during the 2010 World Cup football tournament in South Africa as a result of the improved digital communication.
· African businesses will benefit from the increased internet connectivity by being able to harness and reach offshore customers and suppliers
.Farmers in remote regions will be able to check market prices for seed, fertiliser, and their produce - giving them new power over intermediaries

However, while this grandiose promise does indeed seem practical enough to revolutionarize the African ICT sector, there remain notable concerns:

1. Shortage of electricity. The continent is famous for its notoriously erratic electricity supply and the countries that Seacom will serve have some of the lowest rate of national electrification
2. Shortage of skills. The ICT industry requires highly technical knowledge and African countries need to establishing programs to encourage educational institutions and businesses to train more people in ICT skills. Training should also be tailored to address diversity in languages in the continent. This human resource development is central to building the ICT capacity of African countries
3. Low computer literacy and very low PC penetration. Prices of computers remaining relatively high for the average citizen. For as long as this remains the case, access to cheap internet will remain a mere wish for the majority of the African citizens.
4. Language barriers. There is need to develop policies to cater not only for the bulk of Africans who speak French, Swahili, Arabic and Portuguese but also to develop content in local African languages.

However, only time will tell if these barriers will be lowered as the internet connection in the continent develops. The SEACOM promise will be fulfilled when internet access stops being a luxury that only a fraction of the African population can utilise.

Noteworthy ICT Links

I am constantly coming across some interesting websites that focus on how ICT can be used as a tool for development. Here are five sites that stand out:

http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/
EduTech is a World Bank blog that explores issues related to the use of ICT and its benefit to education in developing countries. It is a well laid out blog with interesting content hence making it a must visit blog for any ICT enthusiast.

www.knowledgefordevelopment.com/ICT4D03SP/index.htm
This site features online courses in ICT4D in the areas of Education, Agriculture, Health and E-Commerce amongst others. The site also has several case studies under each focus area, as well as quizzes, exercises, and sources for additional reading.

www.un.org.kh/undp/ict4dtoolkit/default.htm
One of the comprehensive and simple sites with regard to information on how to build a successful ICT4D social enterprise. Information is provided on how to handle elements such as business, technology and people; and how to work with donors in an accountable way.

http://www.ictliteracy.info/greenict.htm
Green ICT focuses on the impact of ICT on the environment and the use of ICT applications for monitoring climate changes and sustainable development. It has a wide range of recommendable research papers on this topic.

http://education-portal.com/articles/10_Sources_for_Free_Online_Technology_Courses.html
This is a good site for anyone interested in doing an online course to polish up on various aspects of ICT skills. The quote on the site puts it best: "The days are gone when our only tools were spears, fishing poles and stone knives. Nowadays, technology dominates everything from communications and energy production to transportation. If you feel overwhelmed, check out some of these free online courses to build your technological savvy".

One, two, three…......six and counting

It is predicted that by the end of 2011, Africa would have undergone a long overdue technological evolution with six confirmed undersea cable expected to be fully operational by then. These cable are namely:

- SEACOM, East and Southern Africa – Due to be operational by end of June 2009
- GLO-1, West Africa - also expected to be ready for operations in 2009
- TEAMS, East and Southern Africa – Due September 2009
- EASSy East and Southern Africa – Due June 2010
- MainOne, West Africa - Due 2010
- WACS, West and Southern Africa - Due 2011

Hopefully the undersea cable will have a significant impact in fulfilling the developmental and economic agendas that have and are being set by African Governments.