African Development Forum '99: the challenge to Africa of Globalisation and the Information Age Thursday, 28 October Address by H.E. President of the Republic of Mali Alpha Oumar Konaré Introduced to the Forum by the ECA Executive Secretary, and briefed on the previous day’s activities and recommendations by Dr. James Jonah, Minister of Finance, Development and Economic Planning of Sierra Leone, H.E. President of the Republic of Mali Alpha Oumar Konaré expressed his pleasure at hearing such fruitful discussions on highly technical issues. He acknowledged that the information revolution was of enormous importance to Africa’s development. President Konaré stressed the usefulness of ICTs as an information gateway into the future, with specific national and sectoral impact in such areas as information for enhanced decision making, public interaction with policy makers, democratisation and decentralization, health care, educational programmes, and new opportunities and modalities in trade and commerce. President Konaré nonetheless warned the Forum that ICTs used externally derived models that needed adaptation to best serve Africa’s information needs and cultural realities. He advised that efforts should be made to create models suitable for African culture and capacity. Referring to the enormous dilemma facing African planners and decision makers in promoting costly ICT availability and use, he pointed out that in Mali it might take the equivalent of eight years’ salary to buy a computer, an amount that could send 20 or more children to school. Affirming, however, that Africa had to be a part of the changes fostered by the new Information Age, President Konaré urged that Africans should not passively undergo the transition, but should contribute actively and play their part. They should use ICTs to advance African cultural pride and civilization which stressed respect for nature and the environment, ethical behaviour, consensus seeking, respect for elders and solidarity with neighbours in a collective quest for survival and sustainable development. The Malian Head of State underscored that development should not be reduced to economic growth alone, but also included cultural integrity and solidarity, social justice and humanism. ICTs should be developed and used with specific benefits for the people in mind, incorporating indigenous knowledge and know how. ICTs should not confuse the people, especially the youth, by eroding their cultural identity and replacing it with lifestyles of waste, excessive consumption, and lack of morality and spiritual values. He said that the knowledge base inherited from colonialism offered too much profit seeking and separation from the spiritual. It had sometimes strangled local know how and initiative and replaced it with cultural mimicry. President Konaré also stressed the need for true partnership with developed countries and donor agencies to ensure that Africa did not fall too far behind, as there could literally be no globalisation without Africa’s presence. Partners should understand this and help to find modalities to secure what was needed. Collaboration between African countries was also necessary, as this would share expertise, reduce costs and shorten time and distance. Community telecentres were effective in extending popular access but technical aspects such as equipment maintenance needed more attention. In the world of education, he noted that teachers had to be trained to use ICTs in the classroom and be provided with the required equipment. Emphasizing the regional role of ICTs, he noted that African regional integration was an edifice not yet constructed, and ICTs could help to speed up the process through communication and pooling of intellectual, technical and information resources. ICTs could be a source of rehabilitation of African people and culture, sparking regeneration - or they could be a recipe for confusion. He asserted that there could be no development if culture and tradition were ignored or taken out of the picture, to the detriment of future generations. ICTs should help to solve problems more efficiently, channeling positive energy into using them with honour, dignity and integrity as human beings, as well as with accountability to future generations. President Konare informed the Forum of the Bamako 2000 Conference that he was organizing in February 2000 on ICT usage where a critical assessment would be made of the needs, roles of various actors, concrete measures and projects, including the enhanced participation of women. He anticipated a Bamako Declaration that would guide policy development and planning. He also stressed that follow up on these issues would be possible at the upcoming Global Knowledge II Conference meeting to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March 2000. Information marketplace The information marketplace was an open space where countries, particularly those developing NICI plans, worked in groups to explore opportunities for support in discussion with regional organisations, donors and the private sector. Some 80 persons attended. Participants expressed their appreciation to ECA and IDRC for their assistance to African member States in developing these plans and recommended that NICI plans become an integral part of the overall ICT policy process of African countries. ECA and IDRC had been working with some 22 countries; participants requested the possibility of additional countries joining these activities. In addition to the donors that had made pledges to support this process at the ADF, participants requested ECA to assist them in resource mobilisation for both the development of plans and for their implementation. They also suggested the establishment of a regional start up Fund to assist African countries in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating ICT plans and policies. Use and development of information and communication technologies to promote learning, teaching, and research in African universities This panel featured presentations and discussion on development of ICT and applications at the tertiary level in Africa to facilitate scientific research and networking, provide support to students and strengthen administration. Chair: Professor Raymond Akwule, George Mason University, USA Panel:
African universities needed information technology to survive, said Prof. Olalere Ajayi of Nigeria's Obafemi Awolowo University and Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee to the Forum. Hardware costs dropped by half, he noted, when students learned to assemble computers. Universities in Africa were critical to the information revolution and the information revolution critical to universities for the following reasons:
The experience of the African Virtual University (AVU) being implemented in 16 anglophone countries was presented. At the outset, AVU was focusing on computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering courses broadcast by live satellite transmission with interactivity possible through phone, fax, and e-mail. Obafemi Awolowo University of Nigeria is engaged in a pilot project using VSAT and Internet technologies with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy to facilitate scientific communication and diminish the isolation of scientists in the south. Another project between the two institutions focuses on training trainers. The process of and lessons learned from "wiring up" the University of Zambia (UNZA) were described. With funding from the Dutch government, UNZA established a campus-wide fibre optic backbone with connections and Internet access to every building and office in the university. At the same time, with support from the World Bank, the university established Zambia’s first Internet Service Provider—ZAMNET that subsequently has become a commercial company. The session recommended the establishment of programmes of study in ICT policy and management at African universities and research institutions.
The chair concluded by saying that any university in Africa not fully connected to the Internet in the next two years should be closed down because it would no longer be satisfy the objective of its establishment. Enabling Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE) to Access and Use E-Commerce Chair and presenter: Katherine Ichoya, Women in Business, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Lusaka Panelists:
Rapporteur: Nigel Motts The panel, convened by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), of chambers of commerce, business, research organisations, and development agencies defined e-commerce and discussed its problems and potential in the Africa region. The session heard presentations about sensitising business women in West and Central Africa to the potential of e-commerce, about efforts to help businesses in Uganda enter e-commerce, about the difficulties in sensitising associations of Chambers of Commerce to the new media and about successful for-profit telecentres in a transborder area of south eastern Africa. The discussion centred on certification problems, banking problems (lack of awareness of the banking sector of the requirements for e-commerce) and the need to develop business models for African MSEs. It was noted that the Government of Egypt is supporting the development of e-commerce. Participants urged the encouragement of African MSEs in e-commerce in value-added services and products, with an emphasis on the formation of MSEs into cooperatives to do e-business. The session underlined:
The session adopted Biz2BizNet, a proposal support to e-commerce initiatives of MSEs in Africa. Such businesses could profit from ICTs for the management of their businesses as well as using them to generate new economic activities and services.
Defining the Way Forward Recommendations and conclusions: the way forward in Africa Chair: K. Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary, ECA At the final session of ADF, Mr. Amoako reiterated that ADF was a process designed to deepen consensus building on a vital development challenge. The closing session featured the Rapporteurs of the theme and focus groups on the podium and opened with a moving presentation by the youth focus group summing up their experiences and hopes. Report from Youth Focus Group Chair: Heba Ramzy of RITSEC, Egypt Panelists:
Youth saw the need for an information society that would allow them increased use of ICTs, and said they were ready to grasp opportunities of the Information Age so that they could compete globally. The youth group identified a number of concerns they shared as the future working population and leaders in Africa. They wanted to use ICTs to build their knowledge base as well as to promote collaborative projects through youth networking. They were also very committed to creating African content, to which they felt they could bring the perspective of African culture. They also hoped for employment opportunities for young people in information services and industries. They wanted the leaders present to listen to their ideas on what kind of education, including both technical and analytic skills, they needed to participate fully in the development of their countries and to hold their own amongst the youth of the world. The SchoolNet programme in South Africa, the Mount Kenya Telecommunications Project, and Egypt’s 21st Century Clubs were cited as illustrative examples of the types of ICT projects that appropriately involved the youth as managers and as users of the knowledge base demanded in the new millennium. During the course of the Forum the youth focus group had developed a Web site and a discussion list, and they vowed to stay in contact through e-mail. The desires expressed by the youth focus group included:
Floor interventions lauded the performance and presence of youth at the Forum, and endorsed their energy, enthusiasm and creativity. They were urged to remember their cultural heritage and responsibilities and not to succumb to the cultural disequilibrium that could arise with penetration of ICTs. The youth responded that change was unavoidable, but ICTs should be seen as positive, giving new perspectives and opportunities to their lives. In Tunisia, it was noted, young people who had previously been without jobs managed some 400 cybercafes. Governments, private sectors and NGOs were urged to trust the youth, involve them, and support their start-up programmes in business with credit, training and advisory services, despite their lack of experience. ECA's Executive Secretary pledged his support to Africa's youth. International Telecommunication Union Brahima Sanou, Chief of the ITU Regional Office for Africa, spoke on behalf of Hamadoun Toure, Director of the ITU Bureau for Telecommunications Development. ITU was working towards the convening of a World Conference on the Information Society, but its date and venue had not yet been established. He elaborated on ITU's Valletta Plan of Action for Least Developed Countries. Since most LDCs were in Africa in effect this constituted an ITU special programme for Africa. It concentrated on regulatory and legislative reform, new forms of infrastructure building including Internet, rural development and universal access, economic aspects of communications development, participation of the private sector in telecommunications development and development of necessary human resources. He stressed ITU's commitment to the Afritel project for the development of telecommunication industries in Africa. Global Knowledge Partnership
Formed to organize the first Global Knowledge Conference held in Toronto in 1997, the Global Knowledge Partnership had subsequently grown to some 60 organizations (including international organizations, national governments, the private sector and NGOs) committed to sharing knowledge, experiences and resources in joint activities aimed at using knowledge and ICTs to improve people's lives. From the beginning ECA had been a key African partner in the GKP, and ADF '99 was the major African feeder event to the second Global Knowledge Conference (GKII) to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 7-10 March 2000. The GKII Conference would comprise a Forum, Knowledge Fair and the Action Summit of the Partnership. The themes of GKII, which were access, empowerment and governance, were congruent with those of ADF '99. The GKP representatives stressed that GKP was committed to ensuring that the key messages of ADF would be incorporated into the Malaysia conference. Details were provided on Malaysia's adoption since 1994 of using ICTs for development as a major route towards building a knowledge-based economy and society. Rapporteur Presentation Representing the team of Forum rapporteurs, Prof. Clement Dzidonu presented the in-session report of the Forum the text of which appears below as Annex I: The Way Forward. ECA follow up to ADF '99 Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane presented ECA's views on the accomplishments of ADF '99 and detailed how ECA would follow up the ADF '99 conference. She detailed the following among the accomplishments of ADF:
The recommendations of the Forum, she said, would be turned into concrete plans of action for implementation at national, sub-regional and regional levels through exercises undertaken jointly exercise with all stakeholders. With regard to the areas of emphasis that she had outlined at the opening of ADF:
ECA would do its best to develop mechanisms to follow up on the results and recommendations of the ADF. She concluded by saying, "We here are representatives of all the stakeholders involved in the process. The success of the Forum- the process- is in all our hands." Closing Remarks by the Executive Secretary of the ECA Mr. Amoako thanked all those who had worked to put together the ADF '99. He highlighted some of the main points of the Forum: First, the promise of ICT. It is immense. It has profound ramifications in education, commerce, bringing our societies and nations closer together, and relating us to the world. Second, it is not a panacea. While it requires lots of human and financial investment, there are partners willing to share the load. There are proven approaches, and there are new and unproven ones. So the policy and investment approaches will present decision-makers with the need to make profound choices on the path to development. Choices not only need to be made, but to be intelligently guided in their implementation. Third, we learned a lot about content as well as hardware. Content in health, in education, in e-commerce, in cultures for peace, in linkages of civil society, business and so many other topics. There is surely African content, but, as President Konaré so wisely underscored, we must be true to ourselves. We must produce as well as consume. Fourth, I am struck by how urgent it is becoming for Africa's leaders to understand what is at stake in decisions being made outside of Africa, and how vital it is that we be prepared with regional positions and collective force to fend for our interests in the global decision arenas. Fifth, I am impressed with how new forms of communication and information management can aid in democratising society. Particularly with new ideas on the enabling and liberalising roles of government, there is every possibility, if we are wise, that the Information Society will develop a very broad base. That is why I am so pleased that we explored together the widespread involvement of youth, of women, of poor, of rural populations as well as of the elites whose access to ICT is not in question. There are implications, of course, in how ICT is managed. And all those implications must include the broadest possible spectrum of African society into the creation and management of ICT systems. Sixth, I must say how impressed I am with the level of talent at this Forum. We have here leaders in so many fields who clearly are the hope of tomorrow's Africa. I heard very little about how we are only in this for profit, or only in this for hardware. There was a broad, informed and often passionate desire to really make a real difference in Africa's development with the aid of ICT. Our work together is a chance to help hasten the day when the intelligent ICT community has more of a role in shaping society. He stressed that the ADF process is meant to reflect on a regional basis the kind of consensus building and broad policy consultation that has usually been practiced at the community and national level. The basic concept of the Forum was how to improve the process of policy creation so that it also imbeds within it the process of policy consensus. He announced the ADF 2000 would be on the leadership challenge to Africa of HIV/AIDS. It would aim to raise the level of attention of senior levels of government and the private sector to the issue, and it would give special attention to the best cases of managing the challenges that the disease presented to society. Mr. Amoako insisted that ICT would also become a crosscutting feature of all of ECA's programmes and of future ADFs. He closed by thanking all the participants for being part of the ADF process.
Opening Session - Sunday, 24 October 1999 Setting the Scene - Monday, 25 October 1999 Annex I - The Way Forward to a people-centred African Information Society Annex III - ADF '99 Documentation Annex IV - PARTNERS in adf ’99 Annex V - List of Participants |
