PAPER The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Telecommunications - Sub-Saharan Africa
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| The Drum Beat - 24 - Ohio University - Telecommunications - Sub-Saharan Africa Additional Information and Commentary - Please contact the student identified for a full copy of their paper. By Raymond Akondo International Student of Ohio University July 1999 ra249991@oak.cats.ohiou.edu 22. The Role of Telecommunications in Accelerating Social and Economic Development in Africa: the case of Ghana and Kenya in Sub-Saharan Africa. ABSTRACT Telecommunications has assumed a vital role in the economic and social development of all countries with priority attention being given to the construction of the information super-highway. Unfortunately, sub-Saharan Africa has not been part of this stupendous experience. Most countries including Ghana and Kenya have lagged behind in telecommunications network expansion and market penetration has been stagnant until recently. Literature reviewed including books, journal articles, documents/discussion papers from the ITU and World Bank, reveal that there has not been any appreciable increase in teledensity in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1960s. While reviewing the literature, many obstacles to the development of the sector have been identified but observers have often focused on the poor organization and mismanagement as major hurdles to communication advancement in sub-Saharan Africa. Financial and technological hindrances have also been identified. Africa now desires to be part of the ongoing communications revolution by leapfrogging new ICTs and introducing market-driven reforms. With an urgent call for telecom reforms in the region, some initiatives have been put in place for financial and technical assistance. These include the African Information Initiative, African Information Society Initiative, Leland, WorldSpace, ITU/Worldtel and World Bank/Infodev initiatives. These initiatives are expected to eventually empower sub-Saharan African countries with the ability to apply ICTs to their own socio-economic development. Since the 1990s, Ghana and Kenya (to some extent) have been among the countries in the region that have made efforts to introduce modern networks that use low-cost but more efficient communications and information technologies to enable them meet their universal service obligations to their citizenry. New ICTs continue to make tremendous contributions to all aspects of national development, including agriculture, education, transport, environment, health-care, national and international commerce. There is the need to invest in rural telecommunications. Among other benefits, it helps to reduce rural-urban drift by creating new jobs, thus making the rural areas much more attractive. Modern telecommunications can also enhance food security. State monopoly should be a thing of the past and be replaced by market-driven and competitive management. Private foreign investment needs to be injected into these economies to help leapfrog new technologies. Market reforms involving deregulation, liberalization and privatization should be carried out. Monopolies should give way to oligopolies since this will promote competition with the hope that it will result in better services and lower prices to consumers. It is high time sub-Saharan African countries made a transition from analog to digital technologies and other high-speed technologies. |