| A word to the G8 |
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| Written by Victor van Reijswoud & Amy Mahan | |
| Monday, 04 June 2007 | |
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Page 7 of 11 Victor van ReijswoudWorld Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economies (WDR) Affordable access to information and communication technologies in Africa is still too low. In spite of donors’ good intentions, participation in the information society is limited to the rich. ICT policy processes have been supported and have been put in place but the implementation of these policies has not been realised. Thus the first recommendation here is to shift the focus of support from policy processes to strengthening regulatory bodies at national and regional levels. Support in terms of knowledge and North-South collaboration should be considered. Inter-Africa trade has not grown during the last decades (some say it has declined). Development is an inter-Africa electronic trade platform needs to be supported. A network of interrelated internet exchange points (IXP) is a precondition for providing low-cost data exchange. There is great need for design, implementation and ICT maintenance skills in developing countries. Existing university programs are overly theoretical and thus fail to deliver graduates with the necessary skill level to solve the ICT problems in Africa. Educational support should be shifted from university levels to vocational training schools that deliver graduates with practical skills able to solve day-to-day problems. Reliance on proprietary content, knowledge, ideas and software creates unwanted dependencies and hinders sustainable development. Seemingly attractive 'gifts' may easily become a burden when the [market] circumstances of the giving changes. It is therefore recommended that the development of replicable solutions based on Open Licenses is actively promoted and given preference where possible. |
