Transcript The African Information Society Initiative (AISI)

African Information
Society Initiative
an Action Framework to Build
Africa’s Information and
Communication Infrastructure
What is AISI?
African Information Society Initiative: an action
Framework to Build Africa’s Information and
Communication Infrastructure
 Adopted by ECA Conference of Ministers of Economic
Planning and Development in 1996
 Implemented by United Nations Economic Commission
for Africa (Addis Ababa)
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AISI
Role of Regional Conference on Access to
Telematics (1995)
 1995 Conference of Ministers requested plan to
put Africa on the Information Superhighway
 Drafted by High Level Working Group of African
Experts on Information and Communication
Technologies
 www.bellanet.org.partners/aisi/more/aisi.htm
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Why was AISI needed?
African delay in entering information age
 Mbeki (Brussels, 1996)- more telephone lines in
Manhattan than all of sub-Saharan Africa
 Need for an African direction to AII
 Need to wake up African policy makers
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African information and
communication needs
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One minute calls from African capitals to Europe or the U.S.$3-$7/minute
Post: Letters from Niger to Ethiopia can take 8 years
Libraries: few or no public libraries accessible to students in
many African countries; where there are, immense paucity of
books and journals
In sub-Saharan African, one fixed line telephone for every 635
people
One computer for every 500 people
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AISI vision
Every man, woman, child, village, public and private
sector office with secure access to information and
knowledge through ICTs by 2010
 Information and communication technologies not a
luxury for the elite but an absolute necessity for the
masses
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Working with African countries on . . .
Developing national plans for building information
and communication infrastructure
 Eliminating legal and regulatory barriers to the
use of information and communication technologies
 Establishing an enabling environment to foster the
free flow and development of information and
communication in society
 Developing policies and implementing plans for
using information and communication technologies
in the public sector
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Identifying information and communication applications in
areas of highest impact on socio-economic development
Facilitating the establishment of locally based, low-cost and
widely accessible Internet services and information
content
Preparing plans to develop human resources in information
and communication technologies
Adopting policies and strategies to increase access to
information and communication facilities with priorities
for rural areas, grassroots society, women and youth
Raising awareness of the potential benefits of information
and communication infrastructure.
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Concentration on
Policy and enabling environment- National Information
and Communication Infrastructure plans and policies
(NICIs)
 Infrastructure (connectivity)
 Content development
 Democratizing access
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Implementation
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Through partnership-
PICTA, Global Knowledge Partnership
ATAC
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Major events
– 1998- global connectivity for African conference
– 1999- African Development Forum: the challenge to
Africa of globalization and the information age
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ADF themes
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Information economy
Infrastructure
Content
Policy
Governance
Democratizing access
Report: www.un.org/depts/eca/adf99reportintro.htm
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ADF Focus groups
Private sector
 Diaspora
 Women
 Academia
 Youth
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Post ADF areas of emphasis
Policies and strategies
 Electronic commerce
 ICTs and health
 ICTs and education
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AISI accomplishments
Sensitization
 Development of national strategies
www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi/nici/index.htm
 Promoting connectivity
 Promoting partnership
 Stimulating content development:
www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi/adf99docs/docs.htm
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On the ground, 2001
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dramatic infrastructure improvements
– 5 countries connected to Internet (1996)
– 53 countries connected (2001)
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450 ISPs
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Current situation
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Internet local call system in 15 countries
20,000 hosts connected to Internet
opening of Nigerian and Eritrean markets
content growing, particularly in diaspora niches,
francophone areas
www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi/adf99docs/infras
tructure.htm
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but . . .
most connections in capital cities
 long distance calls from secondary cities
 0.06% connected in SSA
 only 11 countries with more than 5000 users
 low total bandwidth (55Mbps)
 high costs ($50/mo. for 5 hours)
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trend toward telecommunication
liberalization
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movement from state-controlled centralized domestic
monopolies to market-driven, decentralized with foreign
participation
underway in all but 11 countries
most separated posts and telegraph
lower computer import duties
establishment separate regulatory authorities
most liberalization in cellular and broadcasting
least in basic telephony
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Continuing infrastructure
insufficiencies
little growth in teledensity
 no regional backbones
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Demographics of African Internet usage
Highly educated, predominantly male users in capital
city
 Communication between Africa and developed world
 Great emphasis on public access
 Major institutional users: NGOs, private companies,
universities, international organizations
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Universities access limited
Mostly senior faculty, high administration officials
connected
 Virtually no access for students
 Only 20 African universities with full Internet
connectivity
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History of Internet growth
Period of NGO-led Fidonet connectivity (1987-1993)
 Entry of bi-lateral and multi-lateral projects (1995-2000)
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– USAID Leland Initiative
– UNDP African Internet Initiative and Sustainable Development
Network Program
– UNESCO RINAF
– World Bank InfoDev
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Private sector led, 1998-present
Africa Online major international ISP
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Current areas of
Internet development
Online government tender offerings
 National e-commerce sites
 Stock exchanges online
 Radio stations webcasting
 Webcams
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Overall situation
Spectacular growth in African terms
 But, falling further behind in relation to rest of world
 Low investment levels in telecommunications
 Rapid growth where foreign direct investment
permitted
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Conclusion
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Continuing need for push on policy front and creation
of enabling environments
– To release national and diaspora entrepreneurial energy
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Contacts for further information
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[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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http://www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi
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