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 New Book:
Africa Networking: Development Information, ICTs and Governance. Published by International Books& Economic Commission for Africa; edited by Karima Bounerma Ben Soltane, Nino Orlando Fluck, Aida Opoku-Mensah, M.A. Mohamed Salih. 272 pages.
By Ayenew Haileselassie
It is a rare book, if not the only one of its type. You hardly come across such books focusing on the African context be it in the bookshops or even the libraries of higher education institutions.
Among the reasons why Africa Networking: Development Information, ICTs and Governance is a rare book is that it attempts to lay a common ground for dialogue by exploring the elements indicated in the title, namely development information, ICTs and governance which, if they are made to come together, could end up networking not just individual countries but the whole continent.
This book is divided into 13 chapters written by 13 author, including ECA staff. In one chapter Irene Odotei looks into how the latest information and communication technology and traditional forms of leadership could collaborate to make people's lives better in Ghana. Chieftaincy, "which permeates through all the 40 or so ethnic groups" of the country, has been so important for Ghanaians that neither colonialism nor modernisation could wane its power. Odotei states in her chapter in the book entitled ICT in Support of Traditional Governance that "the chieftaincy institution need not be left out of this great opportunity of knowledge packaging and storage." The encouraging thing is that an ancient form of governance such as chieftaincy is not only relieving the litigation burden of the modern day justice system in Ghana, but is also embracing the modern ICT tools.
Dr Assefa Admassie, Ethiopian economist, looked into woredas (lower forms of administration in Ethiopia) in his chapter entitled ICTs for Effective Decentralisation at the Woreda (District) Administrative Level, Ethiopia. The findings of his study revealed conditions that begged awareness of and access to ICTs. They included bulky and disorganised information gathering and storage of information, documents that are easily damaged and lost, sluggish communication and little action resulting from meetings because of failure to communicate minutes.
The 13 chapters are grouped under four sections. The first section, The Setting, is a more or less academic discourse dealing with Information, Governance, and the digital divide, providing, as Aida Opoku-Mensah wrote in the first chapter, "an overview". With the second section, People, Information and Governance, the focus becomes more specific and different writer elaborate on how geo-information could help realise the objectives of NEPAD, how and why the youth should be included and benefit from the Information Society. The only chapter in French questions if women and civil society groups are benefiting from the digital revolution. The section on Decentralisation takes ICT from high places down to woredas and chieftaincies. The last section, Public Private Partnership, deals with the topic in some depth and discusses statistical information as it applies to good governance.
In a few pages for such huge and timely agenda as development information, ICTs and governance, the writers pose a challenge to the mindful reader.
If this book is boring to read it is most likely because we think of information resources, especially ICTs so "un-third-worldly" that we do not believe we could make them relevant to our way of life.
The book was launched in a ceremony on Tuesday, October 12, 2004. Mohamed Salih said during the launching that the book was already used as text book by some universities in the North. The book is an outcome of the Third Committee on Development Information (CODI 3) meeting organised by ECA.
"It (the book) is a tool," said Habib Sy, one of the authors, "for future generations to take further the issues that have been raised."
To request a copy, send an email to: ecapub@uneca.org
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