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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The Internet in Africa: Global Forces, African Challenges |
Authors: | Akhtar, Shahid Song, Steve |
Year: | 1998 |
Periodical: | African Development Review |
Volume: | 10 |
Issue: | 1 |
Period: | June |
Pages: | 162-172 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Africa |
Subjects: | Internet information technology telecommunications Development and Technology Education and Oral Traditions |
External link: | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8268.1998.tb00102.x/pdf |
Abstract: | In the growing information economy, African countries stand to lose the most by not having the capacity to compete in the emerging global marketplace. Access to information and communication technology (ICT) has become the minimum entry point for many industries. Some of the global forces that are shaping the spread of the Internet in Africa include the development of cheaper, more flexible telecommunications technology and the steady convergence of broadcast, telecommunications and information technologies. Investment in ICTs is critical to narrowing the economic gap between Africa and the industrialized world. However, ICTs are more than just a catalyst for economic growth, they are an enabler for education, for health care, and for better government. In every aspect of society, ICTs can improve communication and efficiency, bringing people together, and increasing the effectiveness of any development initiative. The challenges that Africa faces in developing the Internet are unique and African solutions may have to be different from those of industrialized nations. Regional cooperation can be critical to further evolving the Internet in Africa. Notes, ref., sum. in English and French. |