Introduction to the discussion from August 2-20

Introduction to the discussion from August 2 to 20

Democratising access to the Information Society

"Over the next decade and beyond, the way in which information is deployed and communication capacities are maximised will be a principle factor in determining the economic, political and social prospects of many people on the African continent." This is the thesis of the draft paper on democratisation prepared for ADF '99 by Aida Okpoku-Mensah. The paper then goes on to assess the needs for information and communication of different sectors of society and to identify opportunities to apply ICTs in agriculture and food security, health, education, governance, income generation, and the media.While there are obstacles to extending access (lack of political will, of infrastructure, of connections within the region, of human capacity - and high costs of equipment and communication) there are also success stories: cases where communities have controlled the technologies to meet their own information needs or disseminate their own messages, applications that are meeting health and education needs, instances of successful marketing of African products through the Internet. There are also many experimental programmes underway to test and adapt applications. Do the new technologies - because of their interactive nature - offer empowerment opportunities to poor people and communities that did not exist with earlier generations of technology - press, radio, TV? Can they help strengthen the voices of these communities so that they have more political influence and access to a bigger slice of the development pie? More education, better health services, access to government information? What are the most effective ways of extending access to the technologies which make communication and access to information possible? Through programs in schools, clinics, community centres (telecentres), by linking the technologies with community radio stations or other local media? Can contributors to this list describe efforts - successful or otherwise - to extend access through applications to particular development sectors, training programmes targetted at women or youth, ICT-based income generation programs, small business support etc? Do you know of cases where communities have established communication with other communities facing similar problems - either within the same country, or within Africa or elsewhere in the world? And thereby identified solutions to problems or strengthened their political voices? These are some of the questions on which we are seeking your views in this discussion on democratisation of access to the information society. The choice is a stark one: the new technologies are penetrating Africa at a fast pace; they will serve either to reinforce existing disparities between the rich and the poor - or they will be mastered by the poor and the gaps will narrow. In this discussion we hope to focus on strategies that will narrow the gap. We all look forward to hearing your views. Kate Wild Coordinator, ADF '99

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