Marlene Amanda Holmner

ICT in Africa: Enabling a Better Life for All

Information and communication technology (ICT), encompassing modern technology that is used to aid the electronic capture, processing, storage and dissemination of information, whether in numerical, textual, audio or visual format, is an important driver for social and economic development, global participation and competitiveness, and ultimately growth. With a population of more than 1 billion people Africa represents a significant portion of the world population and ICT is a vital tool to release the creative potential and knowledge embedded in her people. In spite of great strides in terms of socio-economic development, the African continent continues to lag economically advanced nations in its research on the developmental impact of ICT. Whilst African countries are enthusiastically embracing ICT for socio-economic development, mainstream information systems (IS) research remains focused on the issues related to ICT in developed, mature economies in North America and Europe (Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2008). Increasing our understanding of the possibilities and limitations of ICT and how to promote its adoption and use in Africa to the benefit her people is of vital interest to researchers and practitioners alike. This special issue is about how ICTs are affecting and effecting development in Africa. The situation in Africa is unique in that she has some of the fastest growing countries in the world and at the same time, some of the poorest people living in it. Innovations in ICTs have meant that Africa is leading the world in mobile money and in some countries penetration of mobile phones is above 100%. This special issue on ICT in Africa explores whether ICTs can enable better lives for people in Africa and, if so, how

ICT in Africa: Building a Better Life for All

In the 1990s and the early 2000s, development-focused information and communication technology (ICT) research predominantly concentrated on bridging the digital divide through overcoming connectivity and access barriers for more and more of Africa’s population. This provided connections to the rest of the world and ultimately helped to overcome to a large extent the so-called ‘last mile’ challenge faced in Africa. As the penetration of ICTs increased across the African continent in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the focus started to shift to the uptake and impact of these ICTs in order to transform societies and economies since enhancing information flows alone is not sufficient to grasp development opportunities. It is vital to foster digital opportunities and social inclusion by enhancing the use of ICTs for capacity building, empowerment, governance and social participation; to strengthen capacities for scientific research, information sharing and cultural creations, performances and exchanges of knowledge; and to enhance learning opportunities through access to diversified contents and delivery systems to support the transformation to knowledge societies. Barriers to be overcome are no longer only technological but also educational, cultural and linguistic in nature. Neglecting to invest sufficiently in human capacity may result in the ‘last mile’ challenge becoming the ‘lost mile.’

Using mobile technologies for social media based library services at the University of Development Studies Library, Ghana

Libraries all over the world are utilizing the latest Information and Communication Technologies to assist in their objective of providing clients with effective and efficient services, as well as timely access to needed information. The implementation of social media and the use of mobile technologies for service delivery are trends that have, however, not yet been fully embraced by academic libraries in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This article reports on a study aimed at investigating the possibility of using mobile technologies to implement social media based services to graduate students at the University for Development Studies Library in Ghana. This article provides a short overview of the various technologies and services available, discusses the opportunities and challenges for implementing such services at the University Library, and provides a number of recommendations to support this goal.