Stephen M. Mutula

E-readiness of SMEs in the ICT sector in Botswana with respect to information access

Purpose – The paper aims to present the e‐readiness status of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector in Botswana and make comparisons with global trends.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a doctoral project that was carried out at the University of Johannesburg from 2002 to 2005. A qualitative approach was employed using both focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews to collect data.Findings – The findings revealed that SMEs in Botswana, like their counterparts in most developing countries, had not achieved a reasonable measure of e‐readiness status compared to the developed world.Research limitations/implications – There is paucity of research on the e‐readiness of SMEs in developing countries, especially with respect to information access. Furthermore e‐readiness, being a new phenomenon, does not yet have an established theoretical basis and a universally acknowledged definition.Practical implications – This study p...

An evaluation of e-readiness assessment tools with respect to information access: Towards an integrated information rich tool

This paper is an offshoot of the findings of a doctoral thesis carried out at the University of Johannesburg (formerly Rand Afrikaans University) in South Africa on the assessment of e-readiness tools with respect to information access. The paper argues that information is a key component in the e-readiness equation and yet it is not given much emphasis in the e-readiness extant tools, but is instead subsumed under Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The paper notes that the various major segments of e-readiness as synthesised from existing tools are scattered in different tools making their use painstakingly cumbersome. The paper proposes a new e-readiness integrated tool that emphasises information access and also collocates the various segments of organizational, ICT, human resources, and external readiness into one single tool.

ICT skills readiness for the emerging global digital economy among small businesses in developing countries: Case study of Botswana

Purpose – The paper aims to present the findings of an empirical study carried out as part of an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) data‐gathering exercise that would culminate in the promulgation of a national ICT policy for Botswana. The purpose of the study is to characterize the ICT sector in terms of, among other things, the skills needs in the sector for the purpose of powering the emerging digital economy. Moreover, the study – through review of literature – extends, to cover the status of ICT skills for the digital economy both in developed and developing countries.Design/methodology/approach – The study used qualitative design. Focus group discussions were used to collect data from key stakeholders in the ICT sector. The stakeholders included: ICT enterprises, Citizen Owned IT companies lobby group (CORBIT), Botswana Telecommunication Corporation, Botswana Power Corporation, business community, academia, and legal experts. Data collected were analyzed using thematic categorization. R...

Challenges and opportunities of e‐government in South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present challenges and opportunities of e‐government implementation in South Africa with special reference to service delivery and implications for libraries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an in‐depth literature review from government documents, presidential state of the nation addresses, global and nation reports on e‐government, and reports on service delivery concerns in South Africa.Findings – The Government of South Africa has put in place enabling policies, poverty alleviation programmes, ICT infrastructures and regulatory frameworks which as yet have not been effectively leveraged to enhance service delivery to its citizens. Furthermore, libraries have yet to make any attempts to benefit from the emergence of e‐government in South Africa.Practical implications – There is a need to infuse an e‐government ethos in poverty alleviation programmes in order to enhance service delivery. At the moment there is a lack of synergy between the two ...

Cyber café industry in Africa

The paper provides an overview of the origin of cyber cafe culture and the growth of this industry in Africa. Current status of the cyber café sector is assessed by analysing the Internet infrastructure and penetration, patterns of use of cyber cafés, impact of cyber cafés and the Internet in Africa. The challenges facing the African continent in putting in place infrastructure for Internet growth are assessed. Finally, the paper examines the prospects for the growth of the Internet infrastructure and what governments in Africa should do to take advantage of the current prevailing international development agencies’ support as well as the support of the international community. The paper ends with an exposition of the way forwa

IT diffusion in Sub‐Saharan Africa: implications for developing and managing digital libraries

This paper is a spin off of a keynote address that was delivered by the author at the IFLA‐Africa section workshop on “developing and managing digital libraries” that was held in Gaborone Botswana from 23‐27 February 2004. The author points out that libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa like their counterparts in the rest of the world are continuing to experience a period of rapid change as they prepare to participate in the global information society. In this endeavour, the libraries face various challenges of economic, technological, content, and information literacy nature. In a global information society, there is need to democratize access to information using ICTs, provide adequate and relevant local content to users and equip them with requisite information literacy skills to efficiently find their way in a maze of information networks. This paper discusses the patterns of ICTs diffusion within libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the implications for the development and management of digital libraries.

A proposed model for evaluating the success of WebCT course content management system

WebCT is an online course management system which is accessed through the portal. It has a wide range of tools which support teaching and learning and enable online delivery of lecture notes, representations, surveys and quizzes, coursework, discussion boards and much more. Evaluation of WebCT systems success or effectiveness is a fundamental challenge to education institutions. A review of previous e-learning research suggests a focused evaluation approach, thus offering limited discussion of comprehensive views of WebCT systems success or systematic and practical guidance to its evaluations. Based on a prevalent information systems success model, this paper proposes and describes a revised model for evaluating WebCT systems success in educational settings. The study findings suggest that content quality, system quality, support service quality, teaching and learning quality, self-regulated learning, intention to use/use, user satisfaction and net benefits are important factors for evaluating the success of WebCT CCMS. Implications of the proposed model for theory and practice were illustrated. In addition, future research directions that extend the reported study are also preferred.

Digital divide and economic development: case study of sub‐Saharan Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the nexus between the digital divide and development and discusses attempts being made at continental, regional and country levels to bridge the digital divide in sub‐Saharan Africa.Design/methodology/approach – An analytical and comparative approach of global e‐readiness, digital opportunity, and information society indices is applied to infer the status of the digital divide in sub‐Saharan Africa.Findings – The paper finds that there is a link between bridging the digital divide and economic development. However, there is as yet no unanimity as to whether the digital divide is narrowing or widening in developing countries including those in sub‐Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, countries in sub‐Saharan Africa are making tremendous strides, especially in infrastructure development and mobile phone connectivity, to bridge the digital divide.Research limitations/implications – An empirical study is needed to determine the impact of the surge in infrastructure a...

Bridging the digital divide through e‐governance: A proposal for Africa's libraries and information centres

Purpose – The paper aims to present the status of the digital divide in Africa and the implications for libraries, and to demonstrate that, contrary to recent published findings, the digital divide is not narrowing.Design/methodology/approach – A general literature review is undertaken, along with a case study of the digital divide in an academic setting.Findings – Africa still suffers from rampant poverty, and consequently resources that could be utilised to bridge the digital divide are directed at meeting peoples basic survival needs, including food, shelter, health care, housing, etc. Additionally, governments are increasingly adopting e‐government initiatives that libraries could explore for automation.Research limitations/implications – More research is needed to show why – given that the gap between rich and poor countries is increasing, and that economic development is a good predictor of ICT uptake – that the digital divide between developed and developing countries is claimed to be narrowing.Pra...

University education in Kenya: current developments and future outlook

This article discusses university education in Kenya with emphasis on patterns of financing and how this has affected overall operations of the universities. Reforms that have been implemented to reduce government grants to the public universities in an attempt to make them self‐sustaining are assessed. Private universities are discussed in the context of how they differ from the public universities. Problems facing the public universities are outlined. Measures that are being put in place by the universities to cope with reduced funding are evaluated.