The challenge of culture in information society in Africa

The term ‘information society’ refers to communities, in which there is ready access to information and knowledge, leading to sustainable and equitable opportunities for growth and development. In an information society, there is free flow of two-way communication between governments and their people, and among the people themselves. In such a society, everyone is informed of current affairs, especially those that affect them directly; and everyone has the ability to make his or her voice heard. This could also mean that everyone has a say in shaping socio-economic plans and strategies that are of national relevance and importance. The global movement to an information age and the world-wide technological innovations of recent years have led to rapidly falling costs for information and information technologies.The development of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) is already enabling African leaders, decision-makers and planners to position Africa in the world’s rapidly expanding global economic system and accelerate the pursuit of Africa’s development goals.In the case of Africa, we are yet to have an information society but the phenomenal growth of the mobile phone penetration could be a precursor to this kind of society we are looking for. It is argued that the use of the mobile phone is growing faster in Africa than elsewhere in the world and that the countries in Africa with the greatest use of the mobile phone have also witnessed higher growth rates. That perhaps should not be a surprise given that only seven years ago, about 6 per cent of Africans owned a mobile phone. As more businesses rely on information and communication, access to this technology should help trigger economic growth in Africa.In rural areas mobile phones provide an interesting blend of social and economic benefits. For instance, people are able to save time and travel costs because they do not have to travel tens of kilometres to access a phone. Africans, even the poor, are ready and willing to communicate with the digital devices available to date in every way possible, making it part of the communication society, thanks to our oral culture that has boosted the proliferation of mobile companies!But there is a cultural downside that could obstruct us from getting to the ‘promised land’ of the information society. Accessing information, however basic it may be, is still a hustle in Africa. It is argued, and perhaps correctly, that it takes far more time and resources to collect information in Africa than anywhere else in the world.Those engaged in the business of research should not find this difficult to appreciate. Part of the reason is that there is a non-existent or poor practice in regard to information and data archiving. In fact releasing information is still seen as sensitive however public the information may be. This culture of withholding information is something that keeps us behind others already enjoying the benefits of the information revolution. It is said that when you withhold information, you are unable to produce information.Rwanda and several African countries have identified information technology as the tool for their national development. Rwanda sees itself as a knowledge-based economy, come 2020, according to the country’s blueprint for development, Vision 2020. If this is to be realised, two resources must be availed: technological and cultural. Cultural resources shall contribute to building the symbolic world that gives true meaning to the technologies that will make them relevant for a group of people at a certain point in time and from their own point of view.While we may have found different ways of communicating cheaply, we still have a long way to go in creating and using information as an effective asset and common good that is available in a timely fashion.It is hoped that as more communication infrastructure is made available, the information culture will soon follow. Only then shall we confidently say that we are on the way to being an information society.

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The challenge of culture in information society in Africa