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This guest editorial comments on the rapidly changing environment for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in African Higher Education Institutions (HEI), introduces the e/merge online conferences and gives a brief introduction to the papers in the special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, China emerged as Africa's main partner in digital development. Sino-African cooperation in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector meets African demand for advanced technologies and know-how while helping China to position itself in the global ICT sector. Albeit crucial for Africa's digital development in the short term, this paper argues that the breadth of Sino-African cooperation carries important long-term consequences that could afford China latent control over Africa's digital development. Drawing on Susan Strange's pillars of structural power, this paper considers how the rollout of fiber-optic network cables underpins Chinese control over production, how the construction of data centers might impinge on security, and how research partnerships enhance norms and standards in future innovation—the knowledge pillar. The paper argues that the enabling force of Sino-African cooperation in these three realms is Chinese finance. To test this claim, I conduct a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of 42 states in Sub-Saharan Africa, showing that Chinese aid and, to a lesser extent, Chinese loans are the main drivers of Sino-African ties in the ICT sector. The paper concludes that Chinese financial support not only promotes Africa's digital development but also paves the way to Chinese structural power in the ICT sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of economic growth has implications for carbon emissions and climate change. Achieving low carbon development is important for attaining the targets of the sustainable development goals. Africa is often described as a largely import-dependent continent. The continent also requires significant investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) and renewable energy to achieve low-carbon economic growth. However, empirical evidence on the joint impacts of imports of goods and services, clean energy use, ICT, and economic growth on carbon emissions in Africa is scanty and mixed. This paper investigated the impacts of information and communication technologies, renewable energy consumption, import and economic growth on carbon emissions by using rich data on total per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, economic growth, import of goods and services, renewable energy consumption, fixed telephone subscriptions, mobile cellular subscriptions, and individuals using the internet in Africa (2001 ─ 2020) obtained from the World development indicators (WDI) database. Using the Panel autoregressive distributed lag model (PARDL), we found that mobile cellular subscriptions, and level of economic growth significantly increased per capita CO2 emissions in Africa in the long run while renewable energy consumption and technologies and import of goods and services significantly decreased per capita CO2 emissions in the long run. We conclude that information and communication technologies, level of economic growth, import of goods and services, and renewable energy consumption exert impacts on carbon emissions in Africa. Highlights: Achieving low-carbon development in Africa is possible. This research investigated the impacts of information and communication technologies, renewable energy consumption, import and economic growth on carbon emissions in Africa. This study utilized the Panel autoregressive distributed lag model and panel data from 31 African countries. The results shed new light on the emission reduction potential of renewable energy consumption and import of goods and services. The study also shows that ICTs increase carbon emissions in Africa. This article offers recommendations concerning carbon emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) are values that were passed among African generations by word of mouth. Despite the Fourth Industrial Revolution's (4IR) facilitation of rapid communication for every aspect of society, many Africans have not embraced it to store AIKS, mainly due to concerns over biases and prejudices embedded in aspects like information and communication technologies (ICTs). Using decoloniality theory, this paper aims to show the importance of AIKS, which face extinction due to the combined effects of the deaths of members of the old generation and acculturation. In the methodology section, Afrocentricity, which celebrates rootedness in African culture and history, was used together with storytelling as a means to examine the perceptions of Afrocentric scholars as revealed in their folktale works that were analyzed qualitatively. Results revealed that lack of exposure to ICTs is one of the main reasons for the scant AIKS virtual literature. Many African people do not have access to other needs like food, education, clothing, electricity, and shelter, which effectively renders ICTs 'secondary, yet access to information and participation are fundamental rights. We urge stakeholders to implement policies that promote the preservation of AIKS in electronic repositories. Memory devices and other ICT accessories should be responsive to African cultures. Investment in ICT infrastructure and training, reliable electricity, and addressing all the basics are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of technological innovation on economic growth has received significant attention in the developed world over the last decades due to its speedy development and potential impacts. However, little is known in the context of developing countries, arguably due to data challenges. This paper uses panel dynamic Ordinary Least Square regression with annual data from the World Bank and global economy (2004-17) to examine the empirical link between technological innovation and economic growth in Southern Africa. The study finds that technological innovation indicators such as researchers in research and development, graduates from information and communication technology, patents-nonresidents, graduates from science, technology, engineering and mathematics and scientific and technical outputs have significant positive relationship with per capita economic growth in the long run, but no relationship exists for patents-residents and government expenditure with per capita economic growth. Based on the findings, policy intervention and strategies that promote these indicators are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to explore African conceptions of digital libraries from the perspective of the historical literature. This paper argues that the concept of digital libraries is a western creation and that there was a need for developing societies to develop their own conceptions to guide their own digital library development agenda. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a literature review. The paper makes use of publicly-available literature on the theme of digital libraries from both the Western and African perspectives. The search terms used were "digital libraries", "Africa digital libraries", "electronic libraries", "information communication technologies/libraries" and "institutional repositories". A total of 89 publications were examined for this purpose. Findings: The analysis revealed that most of the initial digital library initiatives in Africa emanated from the west with African countries benefiting from international initiatives to expand access to information resources to bridge the global digital divide. However, due to a number of contextual challenges such as lack of sustainable funding and inadequate capacity and strategy, the development of digital libraries was hampered. Thus, even though digital libraries enjoy considerable goodwill, there remain negative conceptions of digital libraries in Africa. Practical implications: Information institutions in African countries must evolve a unified conception of digital libraries as this would largely drive the direction of digital library development towards achieving the developmental goals of the continent. Originality/value: The study applies the attributes of innovation to explain contextual factors shaping African conceptions of digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, which seeks to investigate ICT-related training and support programmes for information professionals, becomes essential due to multifarious tasks that require adequate ICT skills, knowledge and application in a dynamic context to function better. This paper adopted the quantitative research approach. The quantitative approach was survey, using a questionnaire to collect data from respondents in selected university libraries in Africa. Findings revealed that ICT-related training and support programmes offered to information professionals helped to improve current practices of library operations and service delivery to users. Re-skilling becomes significant due to the existing phenomenon of pedagogical learning, thus leading to the creation and harvesting of knowledge among information professionals. The exposure, experience, knowledge and skills acquired serve as defence for information professionals in the application and use of ICT-related tools of hardware and software, irrespective of the context. Embracing continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills to navigate and sustain dynamism in the work place becomes a necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the study of urban infrastructure has become central to examining African cities. This paper is a contribution to this scholarship. Of particular interest is the interface between telecommunications and urban water and electricity utility systems. I examine the degree to which ICT deployments for urban water and electricity supply shape and are shaped by the urban context of Nairobi, Kenya. I show how in recognition of the city's splintering and fragmentation, service providers have employed spatial targeting, strategically deploying 'pro-poor' services. I argue that while framed along narratives of spatial justice, 'pro-poor' deployments demonstrate market-led priorities for utility providers in their desire to maximise returns on investment, expand centralised networks, increase market share, and counter competition from private and heterogeneous providers. I also show that these deployments have had to contend with micro-political dynamics and implications. Ultimately, the objective for this paper is to offer an empirical perspective on the efficacy of the urban nexus and the contested nature of the politics and spatialities of smart or ICT-led urbanism especially in the context of an African city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic health is one of the most popular applications of information and communication technologies and it has contributed immensely to health delivery through the provision of quality health service and ubiquitous access at a lower cost. Even though this mode of health service is increasingly becoming known or used in developing nations, these countries are faced with a myriad of challenges when implementing and deploying e-health services on both small and large scale. It is estimated that the Africa population alone carries the highest percentage of the world's global diseases despite its certain level of e-health adoption. This paper aims at analyzing the progress so far and the current state of e-health in developing countries, particularly Africa, and proposes a framework for further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds in part to a special edition of this journal (39/2) on dual-mode provision. We were concerned that contact providers might drift into distance education provision through extending campus-based online learning without first thinking through the underpinning implications of its administrative systems, an issue that was not addressed in the special edition. Proceeding from a pragmatic and constructivist perspective, while adopting a transactional orientation drawing on systems theory and hermeneutics, this paper focuses on the challenge for administrative staff and systems of the changing nature of provision in terms of both the underpinning learning and business models. Based on experience and reflection, we conclude that the move into dual- and multimode provision is inevitable and that this requires agility on the part of both administrative staff and systems that is often overlooked in planning and review processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines external actors in the formulation of national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy. It questions how external actors overtly or covertly influence formulation of a national ICT policy following that nearly 84% of the countries in Africa have formulated national ICT policies most of which have been influenced by external actors. The paper uses Bourdieu's Theory of Practice to analyse effects of external actors' influences in developing countries using Malawi as the case. Document analysis is used to analyse external actors' influences in policy documents, minutes of policy actors' meetings and policy reports. The paper finds that developing countries cannot do without the contribution of external actors in the formulation of national ICT policies. The study did not identify any link between policy formulation and country context. The findings offer stakeholders of public policy important insights into how they can manage external actors during the policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion on the shadow economic activities in Africa for the period from 2000 to 2015. To this end, we use a panel data model on a sample of 48 countries. The results obtained show that the diffusion of ICTs, especially mobile telephony and the Internet, negatively and significantly affect the size of the shadow economy in Africa. The level of education, capital stock, economic growth, and financial development also contribute to reducing the size of the informal economy in Africa. However, our results suggest that informal activities are motivated by the abundance of natural resources and migrant remittances. Robustness checks are done through the system generalized method of moments and a change in the measurement of the shadow economy confirms the validity of the results. We recommend to decision‐makers to implement public policies facilitating the access and the use of new telecommunications tools and services and to improve the institutional framework to encourage private economic agents to invest in formal activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have examined ICT in relation to stock market development, economic growth and development and other macroeconomic variables. Most of the studies have been on the developed and emerging economies. Studies have been relatively scanty for the developing economies, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, knowledge gap has been identified in the literature for the African Continent. Pooled data were used in this paper to spur further studies on financial markets in Africa. This paper employed data on functional models adapted from Gompertz curve model for technology diffusion to investigate the effects of ICT on market outcomes of two leading stock exchange markets in Africa during the 1995-2015 periods. Results showed mixed effects of most ICT metrics and moderating variables in the study. Specifically, the effect of mobile telephone on all market indicators was positive and significant. Further, aggregate effect of the ICT proxies and moderating variables on all market indices was statistically significant. The ICT proxies accounted for positive dynamics in market outcomes, market operations and, thus, sine quo non to growth and development of the markets and financial sectors in the Continent. Therefore, more investments in ICT wares and innovation by the stock exchanges and financial sectors in Africa were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key component of green building diffusion is green building research. Globally, sustainable and green building research is advancing. However, there exists scanty research output on green building diffusion at the regional level. This paper presents a critical review of the existing body of knowledge on green building research, focusing on the African context. The major areas covered include green building research study trends, common topics and cross-country contributions to the body of knowledge. The study highlights the social aspects and economic issues of green building adoption and implementation and tailored green building rating tools. The study deployed a triple bottom line outlay in presenting the findings derived from extant research. In particular, the study uncovered that the coverage of African green building research is similar to that at the global level. Moreover, although social and economic factors influencing green buildings' implementation were noted, environment-oriented research remained dominant. The study recommends that forthcoming scholars need to advance research knowledge on the identification of cost–benefit evidence of adopting green buildings, application of information communication technology in green building research and theoretical insights underpinning green building diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a prologue to the issue of development in Africa and the critical need to build capacity through investment in people. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews relevant literature on the seminal issues of defining human development, promoting human development in Africa, new development deal for Africa and investment in human capital as key to human development. In addition, the paper provides a brief overview of the articles focusing on capacity building in Africa. Literature pertinent to the topic of development in Africa is provided. Findings – Understanding the meaning of development and human development in particular is not only a necessary but a sufficient condition to designing strategies and policies aimed at promoting human development in Africa. As established in this guest editorial, Knowledge, entrepreneurship and the mastery of information and communication technologies in this century should become Africa's best competitive advantage. Instead of people in Africa being consumers of knowledge they should strive to produce knowledge based on their indigenous, cultural, political and socioeconomic perspectives. To do this, African governments must be willing and able to invest in quality education. Originality/value – This paper introduces this special issue on capacity building for Africa's development. It reviews the literature on the meaning of development and human development, promoting development in Africa, new development deal for Africa and investment in human capital as key to human development and it gives an overview of the five papers included in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After nearly three decades of "ICT for development", the rollout of ICT backbone infrastructure remains challenging throughout Africa. African states do not only depend on the technology of foreign companies but must also seek external finance to pay for it. This dual dependency puts African governments in a vulnerable position, leading us to inquire: to what extent does the dual dependency on foreign finance and technology affect African agency in ICT infrastructure provider choice? The paper proposes a model that distinguishes between the agency of higher and lower income countries. Elaborating on the latter, the model assumes that the source of foreign ICT-related finance (i.e., China, World Bank, both, internal) determines whether the recipient state can exercise a weak, medium, or strong degree of agency in its ICT infrastructure provider choice. The paper further argues that the link between foreign finance and degree of agency is shaped by the digital development agenda of the donor. For instance, the model predicts that countries which predominantly received Chinese ICT finance possess weak agency when choosing an ICT infrastructure provider because China's digital development agenda ties the provision of finance to hiring a Chinese contractor. By examining the ICT-related financial inflows and geographical distribution of network equipment providers in African states, the paper shows that the source of finance affects the degree of agency and, subsequently, the choice of ICT infrastructure provider. However, the analysis also suggests a divide in African agency along former colonial lines. In fact, the model holds only for countries without colonial ties to France whereas former French colonies all contracted Huawei, regardless of ICT finance flows. • Proposes a model for African agency in choice of network equipment provider. • Development finance determines African agency in ICT infrastructure provider choice. • Digital development agendas of donors affect ICT infrastructure provider choice. • Geospatial mapping of fiber-optic cables sets Francophone states apart from others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are to verify the linear and the non‐linear effects of infrastructural development on inclusive human development in Africa. The results of the system generalized method of moments (system GMM) estimations show a positive effect of infrastructural development on inclusive development across all the infrastructural development indexes employed, except the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructural composite index, which presents an insignificant negative effect. Besides, a non‐linear effect of infrastructures on inclusive development is established across all the infrastructure indicators except for the ICT indicator. Negative thresholds for complementary policies are established for the African Infrastructure Development Index (AIDI) and the transport index whereas positive thresholds are apparent for the electricity index and the water and sanitation infrastructure index (WSS). Accordingly, in order to sustain the positive incidence of the AIDI and transport index on human development, complementary policies should be engaged to avoid an overall negative effect on human development when the indexes are, respectively, 31.12 and 25.56. In the same vein, the electricity index and WSSI should exceed critical levels of, respectively, 49.79 and 41.92, to engender an overall positive effect on inclusive human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is used to improve the quality of many people's lives. However, heavy reliance on ICT can lead to technostress, causing health and productivity problems. Technostress has been analysed in organisations, but not in a university context, especially under remote learning during COVID-19. The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanatory contribution to knowledge regarding university students' experiences of technostress and how it impacts their academic productivity and performance. The data for this paper was collected using an online questionnaire among the students of one leading research university in Africa and used to test hypotheses related to a technostress theoretical model. The data was gathered from a convenience sample of 100 student responses. A technostress model (based on transaction theory of stress) was formed for hypothesis testing. Some hypotheses were not supported, but those that were indicated that universities should ensure that techno-complexity is reduced, and remote learning environments are improved. It was also found that technostress has a negative impact on academic productivity and performance, and that coping mechanisms can moderate the relationship between technostress and academic productivity and performance. The findings related to student remote learning environments and the moderating effect of student coping mechanisms are unique to this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the mixed-methods evaluation findings of the ukuFUNda Virtual School (UVS) with evaluations of three different mobile learning (m-learning) programmes in Africa: the information and communication technologies for rural education (ICT4RED); the Kenya Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) study and the Nokia Mobile Mathematics (MoMath) evaluation. The comparison applies a conceptual model based on m-learning affordances and configurations (Strigel & Pouezevara, 2012), as well as on uptake, use, and responses by program beneficiaries; and on stakeholder learning. The findings show varied successes across all four programs and highlight important lessons for stakeholders with particular reference to scaling up of m-learning interventions in an African context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact information and communication technology (ICT) in their day‐to‐day outreach practices with smallholder farmers. We draw on an in‐depth qualitative case study, informed by the theoretical perspective of "strategy‐as‐practice" to answer the research question: "what ICT‐mediated strategic practices are used by development actors in the Ghanaian agriculture sector?" The research findings reveal that (1) the activities of development actors are meshed within a network of interdependencies; (2) the enacted strategic practices reflect the trade‐off between novelty of content and novelty of the technologies used to deliver it; and lastly, (3) the praxis of development actors for doing ICT for development consists of hybrid strategies, combining bottom‐up approaches consistent with farmers' indigenous smallholder logic, with top‐down imperatives framing agriculture "as a business" and nurturing value‐chain integration. Consequently, our research points to the impact of ICT initiatives as step‐wise and attained over the long term, rather than disruptive and attained in the immediate term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues the need to expand the research agenda on the use of ICT in African countries to include a stronger strategic developmental focus than is evident in much of the literature to date. Four strategic dimensions are identified, where ICT arguably has potential as a significant enabler for transformational development in Africa: institutional infrastructure; governance, accountability, and civil society; service production and economic activity; and access to global markets and resources. A representative set of literature on IS in Africa is classified along these dimensions, but an explicit focus on development is found to be lacking in most of this work. The four dimensions are then discussed in turn to describe their importance in the African context, to discuss some pathfinding research examples to date and to identify some directions for future research. The paper concludes with a call for IS researchers working on Africa to become involved in debate on national and international policy from an ICT perspective and to engage with other research communities in doing this, notably with those concerned with the field of African development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile phones are the most accessible information and communication technology today, and they serve as the gateway to high-speed internet for large populations in developing economies. However, despite the progress, there remains a persistent disparity in mobile phone usage among users, and between users and non-users, in developing countries. However, the literature on the digital divide has paid limited attention to the multi-level nature of this gap in mobile phone adoption and use, particularly in developing countries. This research paper provides a comparative analysis of this divide in mobile phone usage in eight developing nations from Africa and Asia. Broadly, the study categorises individuals into three groups: mobile phone non-users, mobile phone users who do not use internet applications and mobile phone users who use applications that need internet access. The disparity between these users was analysed using micro-level survey data from each country. The study results show that the nature of the divide varies across countries and that the influence of socio-demographic factors is not consistent. Further, we find that there is a larger digital divide in terms of mobile phone usage in Asian countries when compared to African countries. The study recommends that policymakers and international agencies exercise caution while developing one-size-fits-all cross-country policies to address the multi-level digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on library development in contemporary African society. A discussion of library development in the context of countries now enjoying rapid economic development is attempted here. Focusing on countries undergoing rapid economic development brings an alternative perspective to an analysis of library development in Africa and helps us to understand not only what is lacking but also what is going well as a basis for future development. The paper is divided into three parts: one that considers the contemporary landscape of librarianship in Africa; one that describes the characteristics of African society; and one that concerns the major role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have played in the renaissance of libraries in Africa. Several drivers of change in African library development stand out--most notably: 1) the achievement of stronger economic circumstances; 2) the increased prevalence of ICTs and access to the internet; 3) expanded public awareness of the value of libraries in society; and 4) partnership between the new generation of government leaders and partner agencies that are more focused on social impact than maintaining influence and dominance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on research, development and capacity building in relation to food and nutrition security (FNS) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It looks at human capacity, education, teaching and learning, women empowerment, research, innovation and technology, research, indigenous knowledge (IK), institutional aspects, infrastructure, information and communication technologies (ICT), policies and finance. Professional bodies exist in many countries and the extent to which they engage in FNS awareness creation differs. Food and nutrition insecurity continues to affect people in Africa's 54 nations where the population is expected to double by 2050 with the expected doubling of food production to keep pace with population growth. Within the continent there is a substantial number of human capacity professionals who are global leaders in food, nutrition and related professions. Some research organisations in the continent directly or indirectly benefit from grants administered by developed economies but a challenge exists with brain drain and ageing of qualified and experienced experts. Increasing educational need, coupled with the growing population necessitates attention to ensuring a sustained supply of highly trained, adequately equipped and qualified professionals in the relevant fields of food and nutrition sciences. Higher educational institutions exist in especially those that fall within the 500 in world universities ranking. Research activities take place in the continent along with the translation of research outputs into commercialisable products. Research towards transforming agriculture for improved livelihoods is taking place in different parts of the continent. Education, governance, gender and rural development are the key challenges. Income growth and the impacts of climate change on food production have contributed to food insecurity. ICTs can play an important role for FNS. Strengthening research, development, capacity building and industry cooperation are critical for FNS in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions on Development that encompasses how ICTs can make a difference in climate, political, health disturbances and business environment require a multidisciplinary approach which demand contributions from IS community, the private sector, development agencies, practitioner and other academia. This would enable the development community to identify the objectives of technology for empowerment and how they should be achieved in the practice of national development. This study serves as a response to the call for more macro/micro level policy research on the role of ICT on national development. The paper reviews the previous research in this domain and proposes a research direction for macro/micro level impact of ICT on national development on the Africa continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores whether the adoption and use of mobile phones in Africa following the United Nations Millennium Development Goal #8 is seminal relative to other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The dataset consists of the number of Internet users, computer users, and mobile subscribers per 100 people. We use Kohonen Self Organizing Maps on a panel of 48 countries organized in four geographic regions and two cohorts over the 2001-2007 period. Results show the existence of a digital divide in Africa overall, with northern and southern countries making significant progress while the western and eastern regions lag behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how policymakers in different African countries negotiate the complex relationship between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and poverty reduction. The authors adopt a novel perspective on this problem by considering how the broader policy discourse and associated mechanisms tend to address (or neglect) the multiple dimensions of poverty.Design/methodology/approach – A textual analysis was conducted on selected ICT and poverty reduction policy documents from Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria, between 2005 and 2012.Findings – The findings show that the focus of ICT policy interventions continues to be on increasing economic capabilities amongst the poor. There is recognition in all three cases that human, political and social capital are also important. The continued dominance of an economic focus within ICT policies is supported by a techno-deterministic policy discourse, which tends to downplay social factors. Meanwhile, poverty reduction strategies adopt a similarly techno-deterministic perspective on the role of ICTs in development.Practical implications – While there is negligible evidence of methods that could enable a more contested, discursive policy environment, there are signs in South Africa and Uganda of a strong but relatively high-level (and largely rhetorical) interest in participatory approaches to ICT implementation which may, if appropriated fully by policymakers and their agents, lead to a more contextually anchored approach to ICT-supported poverty reduction around a diverse mix of poverty dimensions.Originality/value – This paper has developed a novel framework for analysing the extent to which the multiple dimensions of poverty are being addressed within African ICT policy and whether the appropriate institutional arrangements and policy processes are being adopted to do this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which informal businesses employ information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their daily activities and the challenges they face in making use of ICTs.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses nationally representative data for informal businesses in residential and semi-residential areas, as defined by national census sample frames for nine African countries.Findings – The results show that mobile phones remain the most commonly used ICT among informal businesses, while the use of other ICTs, such as fixed-line telephones, computers and the internet remains negligible. Businesses were found to communicate more with their suppliers than with their customers via mobile phone. The lack of use of the different kinds of ICTs was attributed to issues around need, affordability, availability and access.Research limitations/implications – The data are not representative of formal businesses.Practical implications – There is little money to be wasted on gadgetry in the informal sector and only technologies that add value (i.e. bring in money in the short term) will be used. There is the need to be concerned about creating a business environment that allows informal businesses that have the skills and ambition to grow and become formal and sustainable. ICTs, in particular the mobile phone and mobile internet, have the potential to facilitate this. ICTs may allow for a deepening of the distribution and procurement channels of businesses. Doing business over distance could become more affordable through the mobile phone and mobile money.Social implications – Policy makers have many choices in addressing affordability and access to ICTs in the informal sector, ranging from introducing competition and removing import duties on prepaid airtime, to supporting mobile application development for informal businesses in general.Originality/value – This paper uses primary data that allow a better understanding of informal businesses and their use of and access to ICTs. It adds to the literature on the informal sector in which Africa's poor find their livelihood and from which base the formal economy operates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledgeable and motivated policy intellectuals are needed for effective information and communication technology policy and regulation. This article describes a Telecommunication Policy Research Conference (TPRC)–influenced conference and training program intended to develop such policy intellectuals in the Asia Pacific and Africa, which began in 2006 and ended in 2018. It was unique in emphasizing the development of junior scholars. Evidence of research and policy engagement from tracer surveys is presented. The causes of the brevity of CPRsouth's existence are analyzed in relation to EuroCPR and TPRC using a model of knowledge network evolution, including the role of external "subsidies" and the mismatch between potential funders and the scope of the activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Information communication technologies (ICTs) are widely seen as having the potential to contribute positively to economic growth and development and to improve the livelihoods and quality of life of individuals and households and yet access to ICTs and usage of them remains highly inequitable. This paper aims to identify areas of inequality in access to ICTs between men and women in Africa.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the Research ICT Africa (RIA) household and individual ICT survey conducted in 17 African countries between 2007/2008 the paper provides an empirical basis for assessing gender dimensions of ICT access and usage. Additionally, focus group studies were conducted in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda to gain a greater qualitative understanding of access to and usage of ICTs from a gender perspective.Findings – Although the results confirmed in many countries the widely held belief that men have greater access to ICTs than women in some instances more women than men owned mobile phones such as in South Africa and Mozambique. In Cameroon women were found to have greater knowledge of the internet than their male counterparts. Most significantly perhaps is the finding that when women have similar income, education and employment status they have comparable access to ICTs as their male counterparts. However, as women generally do not have the same access to those core factors that enhance ICT access and usage, their access to ICT is generally lower.Originality/value – The quantitative as well as focus group results of this study confirm gender differences in access to ICTs, raising important questions about the points of policy intervention to redress such imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper evaluates the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on economic growth in Africa based on a sample of 54 countries from 2005 to 2015. The sample is further divided along five sub-regions and the outcomes measured by estimating pooled ordinary least squares, random and fixed effects and system generalised method of moments models. The ICT indicators are individuals using the internet, mobile subscribers and fixed telephone subscribers with trade openness and inflation rate as control variables. Findings, among others, reveal that (1) ICT development has a statistically significant positive relationship with economic growth, (2) the output elasticities of the three ICT indicators are significantly different, (3) the "leapfrogging" hypothesis holds, (4) mobile subscription has the largest output elasticity across all specifications and has the biggest potentials to enable Africa to skip traditional developmental stages, (5) regressions for the sub-samples show statistically significant differences of the output elasticity of ICT indicators. The study recommends that concerted efforts must be directed towards harnessing the inherent benefits of ICT usage which includes reducing the rising cost attributable to the usage of communication technology facilities such as the cost of buying a cellular phone, internet connectivity rates, subscription rates and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the establishment of African national libraries and the functions with which they are charged. It further discusses the self-examination and evaluation that national libraries, and African librarians in general, have undertaken over the years in a bid to ensure that they provide relevant services to their communities. The effects of the national libraries' commitment to support their respective countries' efforts to attain the UN's Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and their responses to the increasing use of ICTs in all aspects of life are both analyzed. Examples of best practices are given, and the paper concludes with a call to national libraries to look into the future and devise the best ways to provide the supportive role that will help to carry the Sustainable Development Agenda forward beyond 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the special issue of "Information Technology for Development" on how information and communication technologies (ICTs) affect development in Africa. Topics covered include the state of ICTs on the African continent, the role of ICT in line with development and an overview of the papers in the special issue on ICT in Africa.

The demand for new healthcare services is growing rapidly. Improving accessibility of the African population to diabetes care seems to be a big challenge in most countries where the number of care centers and medical staff is reduced. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have great potential to address some of these challenges faced by several countries in providing accessible, cost-effective, and high-quality health care services. This paper presents the Mobil Diab system which is a telemedical approach proposed for the management of long-term diseases. The system applies modern mobile and web technologies which overcome geographical barriers, and increase access to health care services. The idea of the system is to involve patients in the therapy process and motivate them for an active participation. For validation of the systemin African context, a trial was conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 40 Subjects with diabetes divided randomly into control and intervention groups were included in the test. Results show that Mobil Diab is suitable for African countries and presents a number of benefits for the population and public health care system. It improves clinical management and delivery of diabetes care services by enhancing access, quality, motivation, reassurance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the extent to which economic, human development endowment, political, and population conditions influence information and communication technology (ICT) capacity in African nations using ordinary least squares. We use five variables to measure ICT capacity: ICT expenditure as a percent of GDP (ICTE), ICT expenditure per capita in US dollars (ICTEP), investment in telecoms with private participation (INVTE), Internet users per 100 people (INTUS), and mobile phone subscribers per 1000 people (MOBPS). Unlike ICT adoption and diffusion that focuses on the use of ICT,ICT capacitymeasures public and private investments in ICT and the use of ICT. The results indicate that ICT capacity of a nation increases with increased (high) corruption index. Further, ICT investment by the private sector depends mainly on human development factors and is not influenced by the perceptions of corruption about a nation. We present theoretical and practical implications of the findings for developing nations in general and African nations in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates how enhancing information and communication technology (ICT) affects female economic participation in sub-Saharan African nations. Design/methodology/approach: Three female economic participation indicators are used, namely female labour force participation, female unemployment and female employment rates. The engaged ICT variables are fixed broadband subscriptions, mobile phone penetration and Internet penetration. The Generalized Method of Moments is used for the empirical analysis. Findings: The following main findings are established: First, there is a (1) negative net effect in the relevance of fixed broadband subscriptions in female labour force participation and female unemployment and (2) positive net effects from the importance of fixed broadband subscriptions on the female employment rate. Secondly, an extended analysis is used to establish thresholds at which the undesirable net negative effect on female labour force participation can be avoided. From the corresponding findings, a fixed broadband subscription rate of 9.187 per 100 people is necessary to completely dampen the established net negative effect. Hence, the established threshold is the critical mass necessary for the enhancement of fixed broadband subscriptions to induce an overall positive net effect on the female labour force participation rate. Originality/value: This study complements the extant literature by assessing how increasing penetration levels of ICT affect female economic inclusion and by extension, thresholds necessary for the promotion of ICT to increase female economic inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects the activist experience of its author, Philip Thigo of the Nairobi-based Social Development Network (SODNET), one of a new generation of agencies that are seeking to deploy new communication technology for socially emancipatory purposes. The paper makes three very strong claims concerning the political effects of social movement activists deploying ICT. Firstly, it argues that in Kenya, the use of ICT by civil society agencies has helped to open up and enlarge new kinds of political space – ‘self-created spaces’. These spaces offer new kinds of political possibilities in contrast to the organised and managed spaces occupied by more institutionalised and officially registered ‘non-government organisations’. These spaces are new, because popularly accessible communication technologies have opened up public domains for civil politics where no such space existed previously; they constitute fresh domains that are not managed or regulated by authority. Thigo's second major claim is that these new spaces are arenas that can accommodate a new type of politics. The communicative network that groups such asUshahidiandHudumahave embedded within the communities in which they are active facilitate quite novel configurations of collective action. These permit the political effectiveness of less organised groups, they broaden the social range of political expression, and they give equality to different voices – through such instruments as crowd-sourcing. These voices can now be heard unmediated by the traditional aggregating agencies such as political parties or the notables and patrons who often profess to speak for communities. Indeed, in enabling the bypassing of conventional channels of patron–client relations, the new technologically networked social movements embody a really formidable challenge to the existing distribution of political power. However, the sources of political power may be relocating in other ways too. The third claim that can be derived from Thigo's argument is that popular deployment of communication technology is also opening up novel prospects for advancing the state's capacity. The official Kenyan Open Data Initiative described in this paper is an unprecedented effort by an African government to provide information about its functions and resources available to citizens. It doing so it represents an important extension of government functionality. Of course, the state's deployment of information technology can add considerably to its repressive capacity but it can also extend its distributive effectiveness and its moral authority. To be sure, movements such asHudumaandUshahidiare primarily concerned with empowering poor and rightless groups. However, in their chosen strategy of ‘constructive engagement’, Thigo's people-centred ICT networks might also significantly transform and enlarge the bases of African state power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The networked world is characterized by high-speed, universal access and application of information and computer technology in schools, government offices, libraries, businesses, health care facilities, and homes. Such a networked world is synonymous with the information society characterized by universal access and the ability of people to seek information, evaluate it, and use it meaningfully. The networked world, like the information society, affords an opportunity to use e-mail as the preferred communication method, use government Web portals to deliver information services to citizens, access to digital libraries from any point with a Web connection, and undertake electronic learning. The networked world generates and moves large amounts of electronic information. This poses great challenges for effective organization and management. This paper assesses the challenges of information management in the networked world and the implications for libraries and information centers in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper commences with a review of the concept of Information Communication technology (ICT) and points out how it has become a potent force in transforming social, economic and political life globally. It then discusses the linkage between gender and ICT especially how ICT has widened the digital divide gap between Africa and the rest of the world on one hand, and between males and females on the other. It later gives an overview of the ICT policy formulation situation in Africa pointing out the gender provisions in the national ICT policy documents of some African countries. It then reviews illiteracy rates and access to telephone facilities, computers, and Internet facilities in Africa and indicates that there is a digital divide on the continent between those who have access to the Internet and related technologies and those who do not. It finally presents the policy options and strategies to be adopted by African governments to enable women to benefit from opportunities offered by ICT. The paper concludes by submitting that unless gender issues are incorporated in national ICT policies in Africa, the digital divide will continue to widen and most women that live in African rural populations would continue to be excluded from the benefits of ICT. Unless African governments incorporate gender issues in national ICT policies, most women living in rural areas in Africa will continue to be excluded from the benefits of information and communication technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the potential benefits, drawbacks and ethical risks of cloud computing for African countries in the context of information communication technologies for development (ICT4D). The paper argues that the capability approach, incorporating development ethics, provides a useful framework for considering the ethics of cloud computing in Africa. Coupled with global and intercultural ethics perspectives, both provide a rich human-centred view of the technology's benefits, drawbacks and ethical risks. Focussing on the transformational benefits and features of cloud computing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the health sector, the paper highlights potential ethical risks that are cause for concern. The paper concludes that while cloud computing has considerable potential for advancing development through the enhancement of capabilities, there remain huge challenges in its efficient, effective and ethical use. As a result, ethical risks related to equity, ownership, dependency, privacy, trust and security that reflect ‘unfreedoms’ and ‘capability deprivations’ may consequently have an impact on the technology's potential as an information communication technology for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal governance in West African universities is faced with considerable government participation in the performance of their traditional functions. External governing relationship is a function of government policies of the institutions and their commitments to stakeholders. The pressure to ‘deliver the goods’ in good quality as well as the desire to meet international standards in the twin era of globalisation and information and communication technology have put a lot of strain on governance and management of West African universities. This paper therefore sets out to re-visit governance and management roles in the university system as they relate to West African universities. The paper discusses the concepts of management and governance and it highlights some empirical information relating to governance and management in selected universities in developed countries. The status of ranking of some West African universities is depicted in the write-up. Suggestions on the way forward include emphasis on current practices in management orientation, autonomy, accountability and participation in university decision-making. The paper concludes that West African universities should articulate clearly their mission. Recommendations are then put forward for better governance and management of the university system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of migrant remittances poses a real challenge in developing countries both in terms of development and the quality of the environment. This paper examines the effect of migrant remittances on the ecological footprint in Africa with taking account the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Unlike previous work that has considered carbon dioxide emissions as a measure of environmental degradation, this study takes into account the ecological footprint as a fair measure of environmental quality. Our sample consists of 30 African countries from 2000 to 2021. We use two methodologies, respectively Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) with instrumental variable and quantile for robustness. The results show that remittances contribute to environmental degradation by increasing the ecological footprint. Moreover, taking into account the modified environmental Kuznets curve effect, our results show that more migrants' remittances increase, more they contribute to improving the environment by improving the ecological footprint. Our results remain robust using quantile regression. Moreover, ICTs reduce the adverse effect of remittances on environmental degradation. In addition, the results reveal that urbanization and human capital improve environmental quality but energy consumption damage it in Africa. Besides, reducing remittances costs and considering incentives to increase remittances inflows to the country remains a suitable target under sustainable development. Finally, there is evidence to implement effective financial system to soften investment credits granting intended for clean technology. Households and individuals should minimize their use of remittances to finance carbon-intensive items like automobiles and others. Moreover, is been necessary to improve ICT penetration and his efficiency in the African countries' context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The persistently high out-of-pocket health spending (OOPHE) in Africa raise significant concern about the prospect of reaching SDG health targets and UHC. The study examines the convergence hypothesis of OOPHE in 40 African countries from 2000 to 2019. Methods: We exploit the log t , club clustering, and merging methods on a panel of dataset obtained from the World Development Indicators, the World Governance Indicators, and the World Health Organization. Then, we employ the multilevel linear mixed effect model to examine whether countries' macro-level characteristics affect the disparities in OOPHE in the African regional economic communities (RECs). Results: The results show evidence of full panel divergence, indicating persistent disparities in OOPHE over time. However, we found three convergence clubs and a divergent group for the OOPHE per capita and as a share of the total health expenditure. The results also show that convergence does not only occur among countries affiliated with the same regional economic grouping, suggesting disparities within the regional groupings. The findings reveal that countries' improved access to sanitation and quality of governance, increased childhood DPT immunization coverage, increased share of the elderly population, life expectancy at birth, external health expenditure per capita, and ICT (information and communication technology) significantly affect within-regional groupings' disparities in OOPHE per capita. The results also show that an increasing countries' share of elderly and younger populations, access to basic sanitation, ICT, trade GDP per capita, life expectancy at birth, childhood DPT immunization coverage, and antiretroviral therapy coverage have significant impacts on the share of OOPHE to total health expenditure within the regional groupings. Conclusion: Therefore, there is a need to develop policies that vary across the convergence clubs. These countries should increase their health services coverage, adopt planned urbanization, and coordinate trade and ICT access policies. Policymakers should consider hidden costs associated with access to childhood immunization services that may lead to catastrophic health spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The unequal distribution of government health spending within African regional economic groupings is a significant barrier to achieving Universal Health Coverage and reaching health-related Sustainable Development targets. It also hampers the progress toward achieving the African Union's vision of an integrated and prosperous Africa, free of its heavy disease burden. Based on panel data from 36 countries nested into eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs), this study probes the effects of countries' macro-level factors on government health expenditure disparities within eight regional economic communities from 2000 to 2019. Method: We use the multilevel linear mixed-effect method to show whether countries' trade gains, life expectancy at birth, poverty, urbanization, information and communication technology, and population aging worsen or reduce the differences for two government health expenditure indicators. Results: The insignificant effect of GDP per capita suggests that in most regional economic groupings, the health sector is still not considered a high-priority sector regarding overall government expenditures. Countries' poverty levels and urbanization increase the domestic general government health expenditure disparities as a percentage of general government expenditure within the regional groupings. However, trade gains and ICT diffusion reduce these disparities. Furthermore, the results reveal that external health expenditure per capita and life expectancy at birth positively impact within-regional inequalities in the domestic general government health expenditure per capita. In contrast, GDP per capita and trade gains tend to reduce them. Conclusions: This study enriches the research on the determinants of government health expenditure inequality in Africa. Policies that can spur growth in trade and ICT access should be encouraged. Countries should also make more efforts to reduce poverty. Governments should also develop policies promoting economic growth and planned urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]