Information and Communication Technologies in Ethiopia: Past, Present and Future Potential for Social and Economic Development

by Lishan Adam

Ethiopian Information Technology professional Association Workshop, 2 March 1999

Abstract

The last eight years has seen a dramatic growth in information technology in Ethiopia. Sprouting IT service private companies, growing import of computers, introduction to the Internet, recognition of government of the fundamental roles of information and communications technology there by proposing a national information and communication development plan and the national information policy, the ongoing phased liberalization of telecommunications and the energy sector, establishment of computer science unit and information science school are some of the promising activities. Despite these developments, the impact of information and communication technologies on the quality of life of Ethiopians remains minimum. The technology has not yet diffused to the social fiber of the society [According to an excellent account by Manuel Castells, the impact of information and communication technology and development in information society cannot be achieved by rotheric statements. It is important to create enabling environment for the information and communication technologies to diffuse into the social fiber of the society. The "industrial society, by educating citizens and by gradually organizing the economy around knowledge and information, prepared the ground for the empowering of the human mind when new information technology become available." Woefully, developing nations continued to grapple with poverty, population explosion, etc. The irony is that least developing nations such as Ethiopia are those that acutely need the organization of their people around knowledge and information to break away from debt, destabilization, drought, desertification, demographic problems and dependency]. A number of obstacles are still on the road in making information technology useful to the society. This paper outlines these challenges mirroring the past, present and future potential of information and communication technologies for social and economic development in Ethiopia. It argues that information and communication sector could be fostered to achieve economic gains comparable to the current national agricultural output. Emphasizing the growth of information and communication technology would not only lead to a new robust industry of its own but also is a basis for improving the social and economic capability of the country.

I. Introduction to social and economic infrastructure

The World Bank report shows that Ethiopia is one of the least developed nations in the world with a per capita income of $120 in 1993 [3]. This has been declining due to low real GDP growth compared to the rapid population growth over the last five years. The GDP per capital has fallen to around US$110 in 1997/1998. The UNDP Human Development Report in 1998 ranks Ethiopia 169th out of 174 countries. The remaining last least developed nations include Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. The estimated population of Ethiopia in 1998 is about 60 million with an annual population growth rate of 2.9% and a fertility rate of 7.5%. The GDP at factor cost at the same time was Birr 38 billion (~$5.5 billion) [4]. Impoverishment and backwardness as a result of long-standing civil war, recurrent drought and natural disasters, technological dependence, inadequate social and technical infrastructures and shortages of skilled manpower are the main characteristics of the economy. The attack by Eritrean government has exacerbated the problem – putting pressure on the recovering economy of the country.

Agriculture forms 55.3% of the GDP, 90% of national export earnings and is the livelihood of 86% of rural and semi-urban population. Heavy reliance on agriculture has been a threat for the wider diffusion of information technology - as its relevance to the rural population is limited. Other major sectors that contribute to the GDP include – services (32.%), manufacturing (7.5%), and other production sectors about 11.9% [5]. These sectors have a high demand for information technology. The public sector which accounted for 80% of the computers in 1993 has improved its information technology intake during the last five years due to substantial increases in capital budget, the availability of computers in local markets and falling cost of information technology [6].

However, the purchasing power of the population has remained minimal with the subsistence economy characterized by high levels of disparity between the urban and rural population. Ethiopia has had a trade deficit for several years. The import of hardware and software is a major threat to hard earned foreign currency - leading to over dependence on donor assistance to provide support for information technology. In 1993, eighty percent (80%) of all government computer projects were funded by external development assistance [7]. Although this has been reduced significantly due to changing donors strategies and availability of hardware and software in local markets, it is estimated that over 70% public IT resource is still acquired through donor funding.

The flow of information is very much limited constrained by existing information and communication infrastructure. Ethiopia has 3 telephone lines for 1000 people, 1 post office for 50,000 people, 1 newspaper for 1375 readers. Although 72% of the population receives good quality radio signals the number of radio sets is very limited. Of around 3 million television viewers a very few of these own television sets. The combined daily circulation of newspapers is about 40000 copies. This is insignificant compared to needs to enhance education and lifelong learning opportunities for children and adults; support training, employment and business, to foster economic prosperity and to nurture social cohesion through a politically and culturally informed society.

Although the quality is so high, the electric energy and the telecommunications infrastructure are very limited. Energy sources in Ethiopia are very limited to traditional biomass such as firewood, charcoal, cattle dung and crop residues. Electric energy from petroleum and hydroelectric power generators accounts for only 7% of the total national energy consumption [7]. In addition some towns remain without electricity for hours and days due to problems caused by intermittent blackouts and burglary of power line cables.

Telecommunications infrastructure development in the country is being implemented by the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC). ETC is owned by the government and has remained the sole operator and regulator of the national telecommunications infrastructure for over 40 years. It was established in 1953 and by 1995 it reported the installation of 142,452 lines [8]. This amounts to a telephone density of 0.3% (three telephones per thousand inhabitants compared with 13 of the world average).

In addition to regulations and internal policies that impede the introduction of various value added services, lack of skilled manpower, incompetent management and an obsolete telecommunication infrastructure have been cited as major bottlenecks to progress in telecommunications in the country [9]. The 1995 ETC Annual Report shows a demand of 321,444 new telephones, 79.5% of the capacity for 1996. A project has been commissioned to install 158,000 new lines in 1996/97 and to upgrade rural telephones to digital networks. Many felt that this was an ambitious target [6]. ETC has yet to meet the growing demand and long waiting lists that on average exceed 12 years.

The lack of communication and information policy was the main causes of backwardness in information technology in the country. The House of Peoples Representatives formulated new laws in November 1996 to reform the telecommunications sector maintaining some government control. However this has been revised in 1998 with policy for privatization of energy and telecommunication sector. Details for liberalization of the sector are still awaited for private sector participation.

The next section will address historical perspectives that led to the current ICT situation in Ethiopia.

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II. Information technology growth in Ethiopia

The past

Information technology penetration to Africa began just after the wider introduction of mainframe computers in the developed world [10, 11]. By the end of 1960, mainframes had been introduced to all African countries (Ethiopia, 1960, Zimbabwe and Zambia, 1961, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Kenya, 1962, etc. [12]. Initially mainframe computers were mainly concentrated in headquarters of ministries (finance, defense), central statistics offices and major public utility agencies (telecom, railways, electric power etc.). However, most mainframe computers were inappropriate to the needs of these institutions. Later microcomputers spread widely through direct purchase and by donor development aid [13].

The initial stages of microcomputers introduction into Ethiopia were characterized by inadequate literacy and patchy understanding of the technology by potential users. Full adaptation of the technology has been difficult due to cultural and literacy problems, different local languages, scripts and dialects and limited access to software and training materials. Most users are still not aware of the potential of the technology. The original resistance, due to fear of deskilling, is however replaced by intensive application of word processing, transaction and data processing [14]. Three major factors have contributed to this growth of information technology in Africa [12, 15]:

• recognition of the role of information access and IT in institutions and in the public sector;
• increasing role of development oriented aid agencies;
• emergence of local entrepreneurship in the computer sector.

A centralized approach to building information and communication technologies was first proposed by donor agencies such as UNESCO and IDRC as soon as microcomputers introduced to the county. The need for a national scientific and technological center that encourages the growth of information technology in the country was expressed in a study conducted in 1977 with assistance from UNESCO. A seminar which highlighted major issues involved in planning the national computing and information center was held in 1984 followed by its establishment in 1986 [16]. However, this approach could now be regarded as an obstacle to IT growth in Ethiopia. The center did not realize its intended goals due to high control by the military government of the time, inadequate resources, high turnover, shortage of skilled manpower and insufficient knowledge of information technology by decision makers. The diffusion of information technology was therefore rather limited prior to the change of government in 1991 [7]. The previous government had close ties with eastern Europe and Russia where information technology was far behind the rest of the developed world. Altogether the strategy did not benefit the country and the ICT sector.

A survey carried out in response to a study on national informatics policy in Ethiopia in 1993, covering 81 major institutions reports 1550 microcomputers, 38 mini computers and 8 mainframe computers. Twenty-five percent of these machines were owned by international organizations and aid agencies [7]. The last three years have seen extensive growth in computers in business, academic institutions and households raising the figure to an estimated 15,000 microcomputers by the end of 1998.

Awareness of the effect of information technology has been growing among users in the field of research, those working for international organizations and those in business. This has resulted in a growing recognition of the greater need for networking. A survey conducted on the impact of networking on development, showed 72.7% of the respondents were satisfied with positive changes in the use of the technology [17].

The present

The last five years has observed considerable growth of information technology use in Ethiopia - proliferation of private companies that provide value added services in information technology, training centers and the establishment of a computer science unit at Addis Ababa University, efforts towards standardizing Ethiopic software, etc. At the same time infrastructure is being put in place in various line ministries and regional states through funds from development assistance. Given the wide range of needs and enormous poverty, efforts to date are virtually insignificant.

The introduction of the Internet in 1997 has also increased access to global information resources. At present the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation connects through a 256Kbps leased line to Sprint in the United States. Recent move of the government towards increasing the bandwidth to 1 Mbits line, privatization of energy and telecommunication sector could open further opportunities for growth in information and communication sector. Amidst such changes the country still suffers from the lowest "net density" in the world – 1 Internet link for 20,000 people.

The computer business in Ethiopia has grown considerably since 1995. Home computing is now emerging in many places in the country. Office computing is becoming common place. However, surveys show this growth does not match with usage. Most personal computers are being used for text processing. As much as 83% of the capacity of a PC is often underutilized.

By end of 1996 there were fourteen computer suppliers out of around forty small scale computer business centers. The number has exceeded one hundred in 1998.The majority of these remained training schools often staffed with two to five personnel and not fully registered by the government. Although they have increased awareness, the quality of services offered is often poor.

One of the recurrent challenges to growth of information technology in Ethiopia is lack of academic institutions that act as sources of well-grounded study in information technology. Many academic departments offer specialized courses in applications including CAD/CAM, statistics, econometrics and molecular modeling. The Electrical Engineering department of Addis Ababa University provides courses in microelectronics, systems and communications design supported by a microprocessor support unit established in 1986. A computer unit under the Department of Mathematics at Addis Ababa University offers first degree courses in computer science. This unit is severely under equipped and under staffed with the annual intake of less than fifteen students. The School of Information Studies for Africa (SISA) is another center that has limited intake of students. SISA offers M.Sc. degree in information systems for students from eastern and southern Africa. Although the original goal of SISA was to become a center of excellence in new techniques of information systems development for Africa, its heavy reliance on donor funding and lack of vision made it difficult to move beyond offering degrees for less than fifteen African students per year - of which over 80 to 100 percent are Ethiopians.

The country faces the highest shortage of programmers in custom and new systems development. Indigenous efforts on systems development, system analysis and design, network development, application development and language interface design have been very limited. Attempts by the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission on language interfaces have been discontinued due to the high turnover of trained staff. However, the establishment of a few private training schools such as HILCOE has shown a significant potential for the future of information and communication technology growth in Ethiopia especially in software development field.

As for networking a few institutions report the establishment of Local Area Networks, although the introduction of computer based Wide Area Networks that date back to the 1970's with the establishment of air lines reservation systems. Public access links were introduced in 1990 [15] and the first Internet connection was established by the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporations (ETC) in October 1996 with a T1 connection to the United States. Currently there are over 2500 Internet users. The quality of service leaves much to be desired.

Coupled with lack of national guidelines, a weak education infrastructure and a restrictive information seeking culture have remained the stumbling blocks to diffusion of information and communication technologies in Ethiopia. Although primary enrollment rates has improved (28% in 1989) the quality of education leaves much to be desired. Education at all levels (primary, secondary, tertiary) is not generally aimed at transferring skills and building the information seeking capability of young people but is confined to the input of irrelevant and mostly inadequate knowledge. The government has shown a clear commitment to capacity building, human resource development and improving the quality of education [18]. Computer literacy is almost non-existent in primary and secondary education. It is very much limited in colleges and universities due to shortage of skilled human resources and computing infrastructure. In addition to the lack of free exchange of information, the diverse languages in Ethiopia pose key problems to effective utilization of information technology. According to Furzey [18].

A key factor in promoting information sharing and developing a successful national network in Ethiopia will be the ability to communicate in the Gi'iz alphabet. For most people, English is a second or third language and for ease of communication, the ability to send e-mail or download information in Amharic or Tigrigna is vital. This needs a national research effort to develop country-specific software and on-line interfaces both for e-mail and for information retrieval. Currently it is not possible to create and sort databases in Sabean alphabets and this hampers data collection. The development of a user friendly Amharic interface for on-line connectivity is therefore an important priority which will greatly assist the promotion of electronic communication in the country and ensure sustainability.

On the positive side, international organizations and development aid agencies have played a significant role in information technology diffusion in the country. The existence of many international organizations in the capital city has created opportunities for demonstrations of key information technology, transfer of ideas, sponsoring structural development projects and a potential market segment for emerging small and medium enterprises in the field. The number of international organizations recognizing the importance of information technology for the development of local capacity has been increasing.

The future

Information and communication technologies have become the major ingredients in social and economic development. The advances in technology and reductions in costs have made ICTs suitable for less developed countries specially in fighting crisis centered on food insecurity. ICTs are no longer luxury for the elite, but becoming absolute necessity for those in rural areas. Therefore Ethiopia should not leave ICTs as sector for commercial interest or free market and privatization as such but rather regard them as part of the general public interest, participation, use and debate.

Information communication as industry could lead to a substantial source of revenue to the country with a minimum investment. There is a considerable potential for ICT based jobs ranging from mundane data entry to software development that can lead to substantial foreign earnings. Ethiopia sits at equal distance between North America and Asia, has 13 months of sunshine that makes telecommuting easier. In addition the growing population pressure and policy on rural economic development requires considerable investment and attention to ICTs to achieve sustainable growth in the long term.

The application of information and communication technology does not just encompass technology – hardware, radios, computers, telephones and software and the content or data, but also needs organization, incentives, procedures and people. Without enabling policies environment for vibrant private sector development, and the human resources, telecommunications, energy and social infrastructure development, ICTs application will remain fragmented. The ability to participate in information and communication technologies require participation, partnership, understanding of social implication of new technologies and management of changes at national level. The immediate potential benefits of information technology in Ethiopia include [19, 20]:

• efficient communications for manufacturing, service and tourism sector
• fast response to natural disasters and effective rural health and family planning services
• effective governance and administrative effectiveness
• efficient education, research and communication of research results
• access to global market and research information
• employment opportunities for small and medium enterprises
• effective and enhanced data and information gathering and distribution for better planning
• enhanced national cohesion and integration of heterogeneous social composition or geographical dispersal

To attain these, Ethiopia should define areas of outmost strategic importance that should be put in place for continued economic development. The core ICT application areas for development in Ethiopia would include those that:

To meet these, Ethiopia should develop a national information infrastructure (NII) plan that covers the above strategic information systems and networks backed by efficient telecommunication networks and people that implement it. The NII plan should encompass connectivity (built on robust and low cost technology), content (mainly strategic information systems), infrastructure (human, energy, telecommunications, and social) and enabling policy for private sector investment and participation.

Application of ICTs in developing countries have already shown that NII is more fundamental to less developed economies specially in fighting poverty, reducing isolation of rural areas, for educating more people and supporting life long learning and promoting small and medium enterprises as well as facilitating trade [21]. However, absence of good information and communication infrastructure, lack of awareness and enabling information and communication policy has impeded such progress in Ethiopia.

Two major activities awaits the country to harness information and communication technology for sustainable development:

• improving the condition for information and communication technologies to reach the rural and semi-urban people
• enhancing applications in urban areas

With over 90 percent of rural and sub-urban disadvantaged communities isolated from the ICT networks to which a few have access, promotion of sustainable, and self-directed development remains difficult. ICT impact is proportional to its pervasiveness and its assimilation within the social fiber of the society. Unless they are diffused proportionately, impact of ICTs remains remote. Although democratizing of access to these communities requires considerable resources, systematic and prioritized ICT implementation could be possible. Some of the key steps for democratization of access to ICTs that remain as a principle to Acacia initiative [22] and crucial for Ethiopia include:

• promoting applications and services that respond to communities’ needs (e.g. enhancing the delivery of education, distribution of health and agricultural information, and other applications)
• fostering IT and telecom policies which are hospitable to ICT access in rural and small town communities (e.g. changes in pricing policies, regulatory frameworks, the delivery of public information, and promotion of universal service/universal access);
• supporting human capacity and innovative infrastructure that extends communication networks to rural and small town communities (e.g. radio, satellite, cellular phone-computer linkages);
• encouraging the development of tools and technologies that facilitate ICT use by the marginalized groups including the disabled and illiterate (e.g. graphic, touch-screen or language interfaces); and,
• developing, organizing and dissemination of content in structured and non-structured format through a variety of media to be accessed and advanced by communities.

Besides meeting the general needs of the rural areas the National Information Infrastructure should take overall national strategy for development into consideration. The NII plan should also be built on existent tools and infrastructure that underpin the current economic activity and new tools and technologies that must be put in place to sustain emerging economic activity.

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III. Priority areas of ICT activities for sustainable development in Ethiopia

The priority area for information and communication in Ethiopia comprises of series of sub-programmes including flexible government ICT policy, infrastructure, sectoral application of ICTs, development of strategic information systems, content and tools. These areas reflect those identified elsewhere in Africa, by governments, various international agencies and the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) [23]. National information society plans have been put in place in South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Senegal and plans are underway for Ghana, Comoro, Rwanda, and Gabon using these priority areas. In Ethiopia the priority areas should be based on the following principles:

• Creating content, storing, sharing and processing of strategic information and cultural data is fundamental for development and for sovereignty.
• Development of telecommunications, information and energy as well as human resources infrastructure is a prerequisite for successful information society.
• An equitable education and health and development of small and medium enterprises require ICT based information systems and tools.
• National information policy should be driven by national development goals and challenges such as food security, population growth, unemployment, job creation, trade, etc.
• Indigenous capacity for developing appropriate solution, tools and a mechanism for sharing best practices is a necessity to democratize access to information in rural and sub-urban areas and to cut down the dependency cycle.
• Private sector is the engine for development and ICT growth.

It is thus important to focus on key priority areas that could lead to national development. The major areas are outlined below:

Priority Area I: Development of Integrated National Information and Communication Policy

The Government of Ethiopia has been discussing possible formulation of NICI plans through a committee currently overseen by the Prime Minister office. It has also recognized the importance of informatics and broad access to information as essential development tools. To ensure success, however, the policy environment must be modernized. The policy development process should involve a broad range of interests and levels of society (departments from government, particularly education and health, federal states, zones, the university, NGOs, including those working at the community level, the private sector, etc).

The national information and communication policy is a prerequisite for charting the national information infrastructure plan. The objective of a national information and communication policy is to ensure increased access to educational, scientific and development resources for areas and sectors of the population which have not been able to take advantage of the benefits of information and communication technologies. Primarily, considerable amount of time and resources should be spent on building awareness on the benefits of national information and communication policy, the national informatization plan and importance of strategic information systems in Ethiopia. Increasing awareness could take place in the form workshops, studies tours, seminars and symposia. The role of the media in dissemination of information on ICTs is also significant. This would include training the media and journalists to embrace new information and communication technologies for them to expand awareness of the public on its use. Using media is very crucial to raise awareness at all levels governmental bodies (national, provincial, and district), the private sector and the public about the use of informatics in development programs.

• building awareness on the necessity of a comprehensive national information and communication infrastructure
• development and design of a green paper for stakeholder’ discussion and debate to translate it to a white paper and its publication
• conducting a national stakeholders workshop
• training journalists in new information and communication technologies to expose them to new technologies that in turn leads to dissemination of concepts and improving governance.

Priority area II: Improving the application of information and communication technology in substantive sectors and their use by the community in Ethiopia

The application of information technology in various sectors in Ethiopia to date has shown inadequate results due to lack of the necessary resources and tools, inadequate human resources and over dependence on donor funds. The use of ICTs for communities is virtually unknown. The high cost associated with providing basic telecommunication and necessary infrastructure in rural and sub-urban areas has limited the potential for wide spread use of information and communication technologies. Although, the costs and convergence of telecommunications, computers and broadcasting makes ICTs economical lack of awareness and necessary content hampered systematic use of ICTs in the disadvantaged rural areas. The two areas that need greater focus of application in Ethiopia are - use of ICTs to improve the quantity and quality of strategic information systems and strategic applications of ICTs for communities.

In the case of community applications, many African countries have already embarked on projects that has demonstrated use of ICTs in the form of multi-purpose community centers with share facilities with potentials to improve local trade, generate jobs, improve health care and education leading to sustainable human development. Ethiopia needs to embark on pilot ICT projects that improve distance and life-long learning, two-way communication as well as those needed to improve the academic skills of teachers. Health information and communication system projects that provide access to medical decisions, better distributions of medical supplies and tele-medicine should also be promoted.

In the case of strategic information system, the country needs a considerable investment to move from chaotic implementation of plans to information based decisions. The Government of Ethiopia has stressed the establishment of information servers in the ministries and authorities such as Inland Revenue, customs and regional administrative councils. However, this has not taken up due to lack of resources especially skilled human resource and lack of awareness by senior officials. Although considerable efforts have been underway the application of information and specially communication technologies in tourism, agriculture, culture, environment protection, public administration, health, education, statistics and overall macroeconomic planning, the results are not adequate. The application of information and communications technology for promotion of trade is insignificant given a potential for competitiveness on global markets.

Training of public administrator in using computer networks and content creators/providers in developing information for distribution over network have become as important as development of information strategy for the urban sector in delivering social services.

Areas of intervention for catalytic application of information and communication technology would cover the following:

• training of public administrators in new technologies through the Ethiopian Management Institute
• training of content providers in strategic information systems at Ethiopian Science and technology Commission
• setting up pilot community information sharing centers with emphasis on women, children and those girls and boys leaving secondary schools in Addis Ababa, Awasa, Dire Dawa and Mekele
• development of pilot local health information delivery system using low cost technology at Medical Colleges
• development of pilot distance education system for university graduate women at the Center for Research and Training on Women and development (CERTWD).
• development of community and research agricultural information sharing and training centers at agricultural colleges

Priority Area III: Building communications infrastructure

The real art of information and communication technology is not the availability of hardware and software or Internet connection but rather its use to solve the development problems. This cannot take place without wide spread telecommunications network that uses multiple technologies (VSAT, wireless, wireline link, xDSL, etc.) and high bandwidth satellite link. A series of steps have been underway in Ethiopia ranging from increasing teledensity from the current 3 phones for 1000 to 1 phone to 100 and relaxing telecommunications sector to begin private sector participation. A study on high bandwidth multimedia communications is underway and tests on ISDN and ASDL are expected to follow. However, it is important to note that this is a slow process due to heavy reliance on public funding and public institutions. A catalytic role could be played by development aid agencies to improve communications infrastructure development through building capacity of Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation to install and operate multimedia communications network until private sector takes over.

Priority Area IV: Development of content, tools and technologies for community access to information

The attempt to develop digitized content in Ethiopia is insignificant as compared to efforts in other African countries. Inadequate software for Ethiopic language and limited information retrieval research using local languages has been the major obstacle. Lack of awareness of the possibilities is another barrier.

Digitized content is important to develop indigenous capacity to participate in global information infrastructure as active produces of culture and products rather than remaining passive consumers of foreign information and entertainment. Content development involves determination of relevant local content, developing the necessary skills and aptitudes for developing reliable content, establishing the physical facilities to meet the demand for content creation and capturing existing content from traditional media (print, TV, radio) and distributing it electronically to a national and international audience.

Developing content has a far-reaching goal both at international and local level. At international level it serves as a tool for marketing, collaboration and lifting the image of the country. At local level it can be accessed using multiple technology telephone, television and computer with shared access models to empower citizens.

Some of the examples of pilot projects in content development that could play a catalytic role include:

• enhancing the capacities of traditional channels of information (radios and television) to utilize online information resources to disseminate content to rural areas
• establishment of content creation and training center at the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission to encourage private and public sector to public both Ethiopic language content and others
• training of information brokers in new ways of handling information

Priority Area V: Expansion of Internet and Intranet to institutions

Internet and Intranet have become a source of vast amount of information and interactive tools. Intranet is a closed user-group Internet. An example of Intranet could be a school campus network where students and teachers share to local information such as teaching materials and course schedules while at the same time accessing the Internet. The Internet is a set of linked computers characterized by protocols that allow it to be used across a wide-range of hardware platforms. Each machine on the Internet contains information to be shared across the globe – (the content of Intranet is only available to a small closed community such as schoolteachers and students). Information on the Internet could be accessible from any location regardless of the type of computer system being used. It also means one can have access to and/or publish information regardless of the subject, location, age, race [A phenomenon that does not compare with real physical life is that on the Internet (cyberspace) no one knows whether someone is a dog or cat, what matters is what is published – the competition is based on whether one produces innovative content or not! ] and time limitation.

A wide array of techniques have been developed to access to information on the Internet ranging from logging onto a remote server, chatting over the Internet with colleagues on specific subjects, sharing information via mailing lists and user groups, file transfer protocol to get files on servers to the World Wide Web - an interactive multimedia based information access tool. The World Wide Web has now gained the momentum due to its ease of use and its multimedia capability.

Other techniques have also been developed to work for those that do not have access to the Internet. One such technique is the use of "offline browsers" where the valuable information on the Internet is downloaded on high capacity storage media such as Digital VideoDisk (DVD) [The capacity of a DVD is 4.7 Gigabytes – equivalent to 2 million pages of document! A single disk could carry all the books students use from 1^st grade to the University level] and distributed to remote schools and communications access centers. Although Internet is accessible it is being underutilized in Ethiopia. The key obstacle is lack of adequate communication infrastructure throughout the country. Lack of resources, fear, apathy, lack of encouragement and ignorance are other significant impediments. The quality of service needs to be improved. Some of the possible projects to improve Internet and Intranet in Ethiopia include:

• Improving the external link capacity of the national gateway
• Improving access points to users by developing shared access centers such as telecenters and cybercafes
• Installing leased lines to distribute traffic
• Building campus-wide Intranets in institutions and conversion of legacy LANs to Intranet

Priority Area VI:   A strategy for human resources development in information and communication technologies

Computer education covers a wide range of areas from understanding the computer itself (running it for day to day application) to software development, software design and engineering using complex object technologies. Education in information and communication technologies covers branches such as hardware or inteface design, assembly langauages, networking and a growing area of information systems design in a complex organizational environment. While learing basic application is very useful, the benefits of a solid computer, information and communication science education remains fundamental for competitiveness in the next centuray.

In Africa, education in computer application and learning to use it for day-to-day activities has improved significantly over the last few years through active participation of the private sector and due to improvement in user interface. Computer support centers providing basic training in applications such as world processing, spreadsheet, database management and electronic use of communications technology have been growing in number. Qualitative assessment elsewhere in Africa including Ethiopia shows that the impact of these training is often limited due to little motivation of the students and inadequate teaching techniques to impart basic concepts that help individual users to experiment and expand their knowledge [24]. A current survey that analyzed African Regional Informatic Networks states that " most people only use a tiny portion of the available features of software packages and even do not know how to use the help facilities [25].

The expansion of solid computer science education is significant for countries like Ethiopia. Software development is one of a growing industry worldwide and it does not require more than a few hundred thousand dollars investment and solid training and focused brain to produce millions of dollars worth industry. Anyone with good programming skills in new object oriented tool can now get a job without moving from his home or lining up for vacancy announcement. The world has a very few skilled programmers to cover a vast array of problems ranging from maintaining network reliability to cleaning year 2000 bugs. The good news is that software development capacity does not require economic strength. India is one example that is now exporting billions of dollars worth software. The success of India is a result of the availability of high quality personnel, English-speaking technical work force, low cost labor and the presence of high quality satellite links that help to maintain strong communications links between India and its foreign clients [26].

Ethiopia needs to broaden its research and development capacity in computer and information science as much it needs better quality of education, health to the community or telephone access in urban and rural areas. Communication engineering, network studies, network design research are almost non-existent in the country and are very much desired to compete in the global information society. Human resources development in solid computing and communication demands deep understanding of the underlying technology, changes in culture for experimentation and bridging the gaps between local needs and available technology. Tools such as better interfaces to various Ethiopia languages, those providing links between multiple technologies (radios, televisions, and computers, Internet) are becoming vital in Ethiopia to get maximum benefits from ICT use. In addition to increasing access to telecommunications, strengthening the computer science education in the country, establishment of centers of excellence in communications, software development, network research and information retrieval research based on the culture and needs of the people have become essential.

A few strategies that would enhance computer education that would create a new industry for Ethiopia include:

• Setting up computer and information science schools in major universities and strengthening existing ones
• building centers of excellence in communication and software research with emphasis on Ethiopic language
• improving universities link to the Internet by design and implementation of a campus wide information systems
• building pilot college networks
• improve the capacity of the School of Information Studies for Africa (SISA) in providing advanced training in TCP/IP, Internet information retrieval with emphasis on African countries, Ethiopic software and content
• development of a comprehensive curriculum that brings graphics, animations, and interactive visualization of algorithms and data structures and object oriented design and programming into lectures, labs into student projects
• Matching computer science education to the realities of the market. This could be achieved by (1) introducing students to key software development concepts such as modularization, abstraction, information hiding, separation of concerns, and software reuse, as well as object-oriented concepts such as objects, entities, classes, inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism, and dynamic binding, early in the programming sequence; (2) enable students to develop moderately large and realistic group projects that emulate application development in industrial settings; and (3) provide students with contemporary application development environments and graphical toolkits, appropriate to their areas of specialization.
• Furnishing computer laboratories with state state-of-the-art hardware and software. The current laboratories in all universities are very much outdated and inadequate. Students often queue for over 24 hours to touch computers. All efforts should be made to build state-of-the art laboratories for students to work together through a series of exercises designed to encourage teamwork and brainstorming. Exercises should then be based on large hardware/software systems, incorporating actual real life industrial/corporate hardware and software problems into account.
• Introducing computer programming concept at high schools. High schools could provide basics of programming that would allow students to seek employment opportunity and participate in life long learning and distance education and that could lead to a solid background for college education.
• Restructuring of undergraduate curricula in universities to add introductory computing courses. All students should be exposed to computer science regardless of the courses they take (social sciences, business and pure sciences, etc).It is also essential to acquaint the student with the fundamentals of digital technology through the use of multimedia-based lectures such as those advanced by the African Virtual University, electronic course ware, and a highly interactive classroom structure.
• Mount a national computer Odessy through a popular media. A computer odessy would help (1) to illustrate the major themes of computer science and engineering using popular topics relevant to the activities of the society (2) encourage students to undertake careers in computer science and engineering; (3) foster technological literacy among the population; (4) promote the concept that computer science and engineering are fields open to minorities, women and the physically disabled.

However, the future of growth of digital technology and a national information and communication industry cannot be realized without introducing computers to the younger generations.

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IV. Conclusion and the roles of professional association

Although the cost of using information and communication technologies for economic development is high, the cost of not doing so is likely to be much higher [27]. Evidently a country such as Ethiopia requires substantial amount resources and aggressive participation of the private sector to diffuse ICTs throughout institutions, communities and homes. There is no room for complacency. Government, individuals and institutions should work hard in improving the use of ICTs.

As forerunners of ICT knowledge the role of ICT professionals is crucial in expanding the use of information and communication technologies to bring changes in quality of life of the Ethiopian people. To attain this ICT professionals should be organized. Such organization should not be limited to a few. It should be wide open to cover all that are involved in ICTs development in the country. In addition to voting members, it should encourage associate and student members. Experience also shows that the pervasive nature ICT does not lend itself to a single professional organization. Although a single umbrella ICT professional association may be necessary, it is essential to look forward to chapters of the association in various regions in the country and subject-based association such as software society of Ethiopia, Internet society of Ethiopia or more technical special interest groups in areas such as object orient programming, computer Interface, software engineering, operating systems, Ethiopic languages, etc.

The history of successful professional organizations such as the Association for Computing (ACM), the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the American Society for Information Science (ASIS) shows that the process requires professionalism, dedication, ethics and the flow of content. Professionalism pertains to needs for continuous learning. Dedication indicates the commitment to the improvement of the ICT profession, while ethics involves professional conducts and social responsibility. The association should devise code of ethics that provides sense of direction to the ICT professionals. Annex I. Provided ACM and ASIS codes of Ethics that could be adapted to local situation.

Professionals should also be committed to the transfer of knowledge. The association should act as gateway for content and knowledge transfer among its members and between its members and the public. Content in the form of web knowledge base, journals and research paper is crucial for sustainability of information and communication technology in Ethiopia.

The future of ICT development in Ethiopia requires concerted efforts at all levels. Government should strive towards providing an enabling environment. Institutions should be strengthened. However, the major task seems to line with the professionals.

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References

1. Castells, Manuel. (1996). The Rise of Network Society. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. London: Blackwell
2. Adedeji Adebayo, (1992). Towards a Dynamic African Economy. London: Frank Cass
3. World Bank, World Development Report, 1993
4. UNDP, Human Development Report, 1998
5. Kebede, Teferi. (1995). "Informatics Policy Study in Ethiopia." Unpublished.
6. Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority, Annual report, 1995
7. Bekele, Dawit. "The Ethiopian Telecommunications: past, present and future." Paper presented at the Ethiopian Scientific Society Conference on Ethiopian Telecommunications in the Information age. Washington, DC. July 1996.
8. Quarshie, James. (1990). "Assessment of the impact of computers and information technology and Ghana’s economic development process." In Bhatnagar, Shubash and Neil Bjorn-Andersen (ed.) (1980). Information technology in Developing Countries. North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
9. Kluzer, Stefano. (1990). "Computer diffusion in black Africa: A preliminary assessment." In Bhatnagar, Shubash and Neil Bjorn-Andersen (ed..). (1980). Information technology in Developing Countries. Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
10. Shitima, Ndhlovu. (1990). "Information technology in Zambia." In Bhatnagar, Shubash and Neil Bjorn-Andersen (ed.) (1980). Information technology in Developing Countries. North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
11. Bhatnagar, 1990 Bhatnagar, Shubach. (1990). "Computers in Developing Countries." In Bhatnagar, Shubash and Neil Bjorn-Andersen (ed.) (1990). Information technology in Developing Countries. North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
12. Rorrisa, Abebe. (1996). "The Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Communications in Ethiopia: A Survey." Proceedings of the Ethiopian Scientific Society Conference on Ethiopian Telecommunications in the Information Age. Washington, DC July 1996.
13. Furzey, Jane. (1996). "Empowering socio-economic Development in Africa; Utilizing Information Technology: A Critical Examination of the Social, Economic, Technical and Policy Issues, with Respect to the Expansion or Initiation of Information and Communications Infrastructure in Ethiopia." Addis Ababa: UNECA.
14. Talero, Edward. (1996). National Information Infrastructure in Developing Economies. In Khan, Brain and Ernest Wilson. National Information Infrastructure Initiatives: Vision and Policy. Harvard: Harvard Information Infrastructure Project.
15. IDRC, 1997, The Acacia Initiative. Available at http://www.idrc.ca/acacia
16. ECA, 1997. African Information Society Initiative: An Action Framework. Addis Ababa.
17. Adam, Lishan. (1997), Qualitative survey conducted for a PhD Thesis
18. Jensen, Mike. (1998). Evaluation Report of RINAF. Copies available from Unesco
19. Amin Mohadjer, (1994). India's billion dollar business. Computer News Middle East, February 1994.
20. Mansell, Robin and Uta When. (1998). Knowledge Societies: Information technology for sustainable development. Oxford: Oxford University Press

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Annex I. ACM code of conduct[ http://www.acm.org]

Preamble

These statements of intended conduct are expected of every member (voting members, associate members, and student members) of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Section 1.0 consists of fundamental ethical considerations; section 2.0 includes additional considerations of professional conduct; statements in 3.0 pertain to individuals who have a leadership role; and section 4.0 deals with compliance. ACM shall prepare and maintain an additional document for interpreting and following this Code.

1. General Moral Imperatives

(As an ACM member I will ...)

• Contribute to society and human well-being.
• Avoid harm to others.
• Be honest and trustworthy.
• Be fair and take action not to discriminate.
• Respect property rights (Honor copyrights and patents; give proper credit; not steal, damage, or copy without permission).
• Respect the privacy of others.
• Honor confidentiality.

2. Additional Professional Obligations

(As an ACM computing professional I will ...)

• Strive to achieve the highest quality in the processes and products of my work.
• Acquire and maintain professional competence.
• Know and respect existing law pertaining to my professional work.
• Encourage review by peers and all affected parties.
• Give well-grounded evaluations of computer systems, their impacts, and possible risks.
• Honor contracts, agreements, and acknowledged responsibilities.
• Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences.

3. Organizational Leadership Imperatives

(As an organizational leader I will ...)

• Articulate social responsibilities of members of the organizational unit and encourage full participation in these responsibilities.
• Shape information systems to enhance the quality of working life.
• Articulate proper and authorized uses of organizational computer technology and enforce those policies.
• Ensure participation of users and other affected parties in system design, development and implementation.
• Support policies that protect the dignity of users and others affected by a computerized system.
• Support opportunities for learning the principles and limitations of computer systems.

4. Compliance with Code

• I will uphold and promote the principles of this Code.
• If I observe an apparent violation of this Code, I will take appropriate action leading to a remedy.

I understand that violation of this Code is inconsistent with continued membership

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Annex II. ASIS Codes of Conduct [http://www.asis.org]

Responsibility to Individual persons – Information professionals should:

• Strive to make information available to individuals who need it
• Strive both to ensure accuracy and not to infringe upon privacy or confidentiality in providing information about individuals
• Protect each information user’s and provider’s right to privacy and confidentiality
• Respect an information provider’s proprietary rights

Responsibility to Society- Information professional should:

• Serve the legitimate information needs of a large and complex society while at the same time being mindful of individuals’ rights
• Resist efforts to censor publications
• Play active roles in educating society to understand and appreciate the importance of information promoting equal opportunity for access to information

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About the Author: Regional Advisor on Information Technology and Connectivity, Economic Commission for Africa, Development Information Services Division. He can be reached at: DISD/ECA, P. O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; or at Adam2@un.org, lishana@hotmail.com, Lishan@enda.sn

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