Mapping Africa’s initiative at building an information and communications infrastructure

Abstract

The article explores Africa’s initiative at building a regional plan for the formulation and development of a National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICIP) in every African state. The paper also examines the challenges and opportunities confronting Africa in its bid to launch itself into the information age. The role of information, communication and knowledge in accelerating African socio‐economic development is emphasised. The paper makes a critical examination of the globalisation of economies and argues that globalisation appears to favour the rich and not so much the poor. It challenges the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to provide funding for the project if it is to succeed. It eventually concludes by making the observation that Africa’s Information Society Initiative (AISI) should promote Africa.

Citation

Thapisa, A.P.N. and Birabwa, E. (1998), "Mapping Africa’s initiative at building an information and communications infrastructure", Internet Research, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662249810368888