Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA

Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in Africa: an overview
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• Rail, road, and air transport is limited and this infrastructure is needed
to implement and support ICT infrastructure, as well as the increased
social and economic activity that this technology should stimulate
• Many tax regimes define computers and cellular phones as luxury
items, which adds to the price of these goods especially as the vast
majority must be imported
• Lack of skills together with the problem of brain drain (as noted above)
also makes widespread adoption of new technology difficult.
All of the above issues are further complicated by a business climate that
encourages investment in Africa through large multinational companies
rather than in ways that might be more beneficial to the continent.
Further details of the status of ICT infrastructure in Africa are provided
below. It should be noted at the outset, however, that, although the
challenges facing Africa in the drive to develop an African response to
the information society/economy are many and great, much has already
been achieved. Further, as was discussed above, combating the digital
divide and using ICTs for continental development are fundamental
focuses of current development initiatives.
Tables 5 and 6 below provide a summary of the economic and
technology/infrastructure status of selected African countries, as well as
various OECD countries, and low, middle and high-income countries.
Table 5: Technology in Africa
Country
Telephone
/1000
Technology and Infrastructure
Cost/local
call
$/3min.
Personal
computers/
1000
Internet
host/
1000
Benin - - 1.5 00
Botswana 77.0 00 31.0 6.0
Burundi 2.8 00 - 00
C.A.R 2.7 0.5 1.4 00
Egypt 75.0 00 12 0.3
Ethiopia 3.1 00 0.7 00
Ghana 8.0 0.1 2.5 0.1
Kenya 10.3 0.1 4.2 0.2
Nigeria - - 6.4 00
Mozambique 4.0 0.1 2.6 0.1
South Africa 125 0.1 54.7 33.4
Tunisia 89.8 0.0 15.3 0.1
Uganda 2.6 0.2 2.5 0.1
Source: World Development Indicators (2001) and World Bank Group database
(2002)
7. ICT Infrastructure in Africa