Prof' G' O' Ajayi AFRINET 2000 1

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CAPACITY BUILDING AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

• PROF. G. OLALERE AJAYI
• Coordinator, Centre for Information and
  Communication Technology Development (CICTED)
• Director, Information Technology Communication
  Unit (INTECU), OAU, Ile-Ife

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PAPER DELIVERED AT THE AFRICAN INTERNET SUMMIT
AND EXHIBITIONS (AFRINET 2000)

• Venue ECOWAS SECRETARIAT, ASOKORO, ABUJA
• Date 19 September, 2000

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WHAT IS ICT ?

• INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
• is basically an electronic based system of
  information
• transmission, reception, processing and retrieval
  .
• WITNESSING THE CONVERGENCE OF THE FOLLOWING
• Telecommunication
• Computers
• Broadcasting
• Entertainment
• which has drastically changed the way we think
  the way we live
• the environment in which we live, etc

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• Globalisation and Information Age

• Globalisation is not limited to the financial
  markets, but encompasses the whole range of
  social, political, economic and cultural
  phenomena.
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  revolution is the central and driving force for
  globalisation
• Dynamic change in all aspects of human existence
  is the key by-product of the present
  globalisation period of ICT revolution

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The world telecommunication system, the
convergence of computer technology and
telecommunications technology into the
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, with all its components
and activities, is distinctive in its extension
and complexity and is also undergoing a rapid
and fundamental change 1. National boundaries
between countries and continents become
indistinct, 2. The capacity to transfer and
process information increases at an exceptional
rate.
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The global information communication has been
called the world's largest machine", complex
and difficult to visualise and understand in its
different hardware and software subsystems.
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THIS LARGE MACHINE HAS REMARKABLE AND EXCEPTIONAL
CHARACTERISTICS
1. It has developed more quickly (measured in
terms of price/performance ratio, among other
things) than any other technology. 2. It is more
mobile. 3. It leaves fewer traces in the
physical environment than any other significant
known technology.
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• Dr. Sue Rhee, ADF, OCTOBER 1999

• A population the size of the United Kingdom joins
  the Internet Community
• every six months.
• Internet traffic doubles every 100 days.
• This month, another 18 million people will join
  the Internet community.
• There are 7 new people on the Internet every
  second.
• By the end of this year, the Internet will carry
  more information than all the
  telephones in America.
• Every fourth person on the web is buying
  something - right now.
• This month, over half a billion dollars will be
  spent over the Web.
• One day, there wont be any paper money.
• The web has more uses in its first five years
  than the telephone did in its first thirty.
• One day, the Internet will make long distance
  calls a thing of the past.
• It took radio technology 38 years to reach the
  first 50 million users, for PC, it took 16
  years to reach the 50 million user mark, TV took
  13 years, whilst Internet took just 4 years.

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The Internet holds the greatest promise humanity
has known for long-distance learning and
universal access to quality education. It
offers the best chance yet for developing
countries to take their rightful place in the
global economy. And so our mission must be to
ensure access as widely as possible. If we do
not, the gulf between the haves and the have-nots
will be the gulf between the technology-rich and
the technology-poor.Kofi AnnanSecretary-Genera
l, United NationsScience, 19 February, 1999,
page 1079
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POVERTY ALLEVIATION

• ICT creates skilled workforce at rural levels
  through
• distance learning and IT related training
  programmes

• ICT improves the HDI (Human Development Index) in
  terms of increase in aids and subsidies, improved
  quality of healthcare, provision of educational
  opportunities, improved agricultural productivity
  and commerce, increased life expectancy and
  standard of living, through access to unlimited
  information.

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• First phase is the establishment of ICT
  facilities
• Integration of ICT into teaching, education
  research and development.
• Role of tertiary institutions
• Informal Education training and workshops,
  seminars,TV, Internet, Technet
• Formal Education (Instruction)
• Research and Development
• Distance Learning and Education
• Lifelong learning

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CAPACITY BUILDING

• FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF ICT
• Infrastructural
• Institutional
• Human Capacity
• INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING
• All Levels of Education
• Necessity to Cope with the Rapidity of
  Development in ICT
• All Pervasive ICT Working Environment
• Curricula Development at all Levels
• Integration of IT into Learning, Education,
  Research and Development

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• NEW APPROACH TO INSTITUTIONAL SET UP
• Tele-education
• Distance Education
• Tele-Learning
• Virtual Learning
• FORMAL EDUCATION
• Primary Schools - 41,600
• Secondary Schools - 8,000
• Tertiary Institutions - about 300
• University
• Polytechnics
• Colleges of Education
• etc
• CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT
• TRAINING OF LECTURERS AND STAFF
• WORKSHOPS

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HUMAN CAPACITY BUILDING/ HUMAN RESOURCES
DEVELOPMENT

• INFORMAL EDUCATION
• Training Workshops
• Seminars
• Short Courses
• Public Sectors and Private Sector Participation
• Partnership
• Experience at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
• Life long Learning

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FORMAL EDUCATION

• Various Institution levels
• Undergraduate and Postgraduate
• Research and Development

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SOME SECTORAL ICT CAPACITY BUILDING

• e-commerce
• e-Government
• e-finance
• tele-education
• tele-health
• tele-medicine

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MEGAUNIVERSITIES
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CONTENTS

• African Population is about 13 of the World
  population
• Only 1 contents contribution to the Internet
• contents required in all spheres of ICT
• Long distance learning
• Virtual Libraries
• Virtual Laboratories
• Tele-Medicine
• Electronic Commerce
• Electronic governance

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Example of Information Content

• On-line Government Information
• Political
• Economic
• Health
• Welfare Services
• Social Services
• Education
• Population
• Financial e.g. GDP, GNP
• Defence
• Agriculture
• Science and Technology (Transfer of Technology)
• Technology Incubation Services

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Example of Information Content (Contd)

• Agriculture - Agrovision
• Soil mapping nationally
• Crop (Cash and Food) mapping
• Onset and Cessation of rainfall
• Ambient agrometeorological and agronomic
  conditions
• Planting dates
• Harvesting dates
• Drought probability
• Storage conditions
• Transportation conditions
• Seasonal food security potential (index)
• Location of experimental farms experience

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Example of Information Content (Contd).

• Agricultural Research Output
• Information to Farm Extension Workers
• Information to Farmers
• Government Information
• Federal Government
• Federal Ministries
• Federal Parastatals
• 36 States and FCT, also 774 LGAs
• Ministries
• Parastatals

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PITs IN SOUTH AFRICA A new scheme to provide
Public Information Terminals (PITs) providing
24-hour-access to government departments was
launched in Johannesburg. The scheme is as a
result of research by the Department of
Communications where, computers can be used for
time-consuming tasks as applying for driving
licenses and passports, or even government
tenders. So far, five prototype terminals which
will be located in post offices, supermarkets
and other public places, have been built at the
cost of 40,000 per unit.
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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

• Use of Inherent human intellect
• Indian Experience
• Germany is employing 40,000 Indian Software
  experts.
• Introduction of Green Card to solve immigration
  problems

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Science and Technology

• UN-ECA CODI data management Project
• ICSU-CODATA Scientific data Project
• AAU DATAD (Data Base for African Thesis and
  Dissertations)
• RMRDC research data base
• UI-Chemistry department Scientific data base
• National Data Bank

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• Lack of Appropriate IT Infrastructures in our
  tertiary Institutions
• Lack of Contents on R D results
• Non-availability of dissertations and thesis
  on-line

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Recommendations

• Review of the educational curricula to
  incorporate ICT
• Introduction of ICT at primary, secondary and
  tertiary levels
• Involvement of the tertiary institutions in RD
  in ICT
• Establishment of an academic and research ICT
  national backbone
• Massive training for Professors, lecturers, etc.
  in the tertiary institutions

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Recommendations (contd)

• Development of on-line courses for distance
  education
• Transformation of existing information into
  contents for on-line access
• Contents development for government information
  and accessibility
• Training in software development for young
  jobless graduates and school leavers for poverty
  alleviation
• Centres of excellence in ICT should be
  established and supported