WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM-NEPAD E-AFRICA COMMISSION E-READINESS POLICY PROGRAMME BUILDING CAPACITY TO NARROW THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AFRICA FROM WITHIN

Transcription

1 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM-NEPAD E-AFRICA COMMISSION E-READINESS POLICY PROGRAMME BUILDING CAPACITY TO NARROW THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AFRICA FROM WITHIN DAVOS, 00

2 World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme Building capacity to narrow the digital divide in Africa from within Bridges.org 7 January 00 For information contact: Bridges.org Ewan McPhie, Policy Director edmcphie@bridges.org 1 Plein Street, Durbanville 7550 PO Box 416, Durbanville 7551 South Africa Tel.: +7 (0) Fax: +7 (0)

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4 i Copyright (c) 00 by bridges.org and World Economic Form as open content. The information herein can be freely copied and used as is, as long as you give credit to bridges.org and the World Economic Forum. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0, 8 June 1999 or later (the latest version is currently available at Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. Distribution of the work or derivative of the work in any standard (paper) book form is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from the copyright holder. If you want to use the information in this document in a way that requires permission, please ask. If you have any questions about copyright of this report, please contact Ewan McPhie at edmcphie@bridges.org. The World Economic Forum has full rights to copy, publish and disseminate this work where bridges.org is credited as the author.

5 ii Executive summary The countries of Africa face a diverse range of challenges and obstacles as they strive to develop their economies, decrease their dependence on the developed world, and ready themselves for participation in the global economy. Achieving e-readiness, and the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool for social and economic development, are key elements in these processes. The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) offers a vehicle for African leaders to drive the necessary changes, and within the NEPAD context the e-africa Commission has been tasked to deal with issues related to ICT. Not only do Africa's leaders recognize the part that ICT can play in development, they also recognize that forming strategic partnerships with the public and private sector can contribute to their efforts. The Information Society Partnership for Africa's Development (ISPAD) will be a mechanism whereby the private sector and other actors can engage in the process. However, before anything can be achieved, there must be a clear understanding of where things stand now and what needs to be done, and a realistic timeframe for moving forward. Moreover, ground-level stakeholders must be included in policy-making processes at the outset, because their involvement and "buy-in" is critical to empower government to make and implement difficult, and at times conflicting, decisions. The World Economic Forum and its members have held numerous discussions with the NEPAD Secretariat and the e-africa Commission about how they can augment and complement NEPAD efforts and help to address technology-related policy issues within the context of broader development activities. The World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme is the result. Bridges.org undertook work on the Programme in September 00 in partnership with the World Economic Forum, NEPAD, and the e-africa Commission. World Economic Forum member companies Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft helped launch a coalition of supporters by providing the seed funding for the Programme. The goal of the Programme is to help African countries develop e- readiness policies and remove or reduce the policy obstacles that limit the use of ICT throughout the region. The key objectives of this programme of work are to:? Support the NEPAD Secretariat, the e-africa Commission and ISPAD,? Assess the current status of ICT-related policies in Africa, 1? Facilitate a dialogue and raise awareness among key stakeholders,? Produce recommendations to guide policy work, and? Build local capacity for ICT policy-making. The World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme builds on previous work of the World Economic Forum Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) and the initial steps of the e-africa Commission in this area. It is intended as the first stage in a broader process to advance ICT policy and decision-making across Africa by building partnerships, helping to establish priorities, identifying stakeholders and, perhaps most importantly, informing policy processes. The 1-month programme of work has been broken into four stages, each covering an approximate three-month period: Stage 1: laying the foundation Stages : expansion and consolidation Stages -4: ensuring sustainability and continued growth Each stage has identifiable activities and deliverables such as reports, briefings and workshops but the stages are intended to build upon each other. Publications produced as part of this Programme will be distributed to all NEPAD countries and will be available as open content on the bridges.org website; they will also be offered for publication on the World Economic Forum and e- Africa Commission websites. It is intended that all activities and deliverables will be conducted in cooperation with, and published under the auspices of, all current and future members of the partnership. 1 There are 54 independent countries on the African continent, and for the sake of completeness they are all included in this report. Morocco and Madagascar are not currently members of NEPAD, but negotiations are underway with Madagascar on membership. Madagascar is a member of the African Union, and therefore a potential member of NEPAD, while Morocco is not a member of the Union at this time.

6 iii This report describes the activities conducted in the first stage of the Programme, which bridges.org has led during September-December 00. Key activities include:? Establishing collaboration with the e-africa Commission: The e-africa Commission has indicated that it is supportive of the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme overall, and expressed a willingness to engage in the Programme once it has formalized its own structures and strategies during the coming months. The Commission also invited World Economic Forum members and other private sector and civil society actors to participate in the ISPAD activities to be launched during 00. It was agreed that future meetings, conference calls and other interactions would take place at regular intervals.? Identifying key actors and mechanisms to engage them: Bridges.org has identified some of the leading organizations across Africa that deal with ICT-related policy issues, which the e-africa Commission and ISPAD should consider involving in their activities. Annex 1 is a list of these organizations that describes the main focus and activities of each, and provides contact information. Annex is a list of national government agencies that lead on ICT issues in each African country. An inventory of leading online news and discussion lists dealing with African ICT issues is included as Annex. Bridges.org has begun to monitor and participate in the lists, to gain a sense of which one might best serve the needs of the Commission and ISPAD for informing and engaging key stakeholders in the most effective ways.? Collecting information on basic e-readiness in African countries: This section describes the landscape of e-readiness across the African continent overall. More detailed information on the status of e-readiness within each African state is contained in Annex 6, including specific information for each country on policy, infrastructure, ground level initiatives, and e-readiness assessments. Annex 5 contains more detail on the economic situation in each country.? Creating a framework for examining the issues, and proposing country groupings according to e- readiness levels: This section sets out a framework that could be used for analysing e-readiness issues, and proposes groupings for the African countries according to their level of e-readiness. The framework template can help policy-makers and stakeholders examine issues that apply to groups of countries at comparative levels, so they can learn from relevant experience and best practice. Each African country is rated in a number of key areas and a country grouping has been assigned for use within the context of the proposed framework. Two examples are provided to illustrate how the Commission, ISPAD, and others could use the framework and groupings to examine ICT policy issues, raise public awareness, and build a dialogue. First, the framework is used to examine a relevant e-readiness policy issue and the different approaches that are needed across the groupings. Then, one issue that is characteristic of the kinds of issues affecting a particular country grouping is examined in more detail. It was the intention of the initial partners and funders that the first stage of the Programme should represent more than just the drafting of a paper that would serve no further purpose. Therefore, the information set out in this report is intended as a foundation for the remaining programme of work, aiming to "kick-start" a longer process with broader vision and even greater results. The report describes the efforts so far to build a relationship with the e-africa Commission. It offers tools that can be used to develop partnerships and collaboration among government, private sector and civil society stakeholders as part of an inclusive participatory process. And it sets out a framework upon which a strategy could be built for achieving e-readiness across Africa in small, achievable steps. Finally, it represents an update on progress to inform and seek input from World Economic Forum members, the e-africa Commission, and the coalition of initial funders, with an eye toward building on the initial investment in the work and consolidating support for the remainder of the Programme.

7 iv Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft for making an investment of seed funding to help launch this Programme. Their vision and commitment to facilitating change in Africa sets an example for others who want to help NEPAD achieve its aims. It is hoped that other World Economic Forum members will follow their lead by funding the remainder of this Programme and enabling the long-term objectives to be realized. We would also like to thank our colleagues at the World Economic Forum for their support in the process so far, and Henry Chasia and Lyndall Shope-Mafole for providing insight into the work of the NEPAD Secretariat and the e-africa Commission. We look forward to working in partnership with them during the rest of the programme. Table of contents Executive summary...ii Acknowledgements...iv Table of contents...iv 1 Introduction and background Overview of NEPAD, e-africa Commission, and ISPAD Overview of the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme... Establishing collaboration with the e-africa Commission... 4 Identifying key actors and mechanisms to engage them Collecting information on basic e-readiness in African countries Overview of basic e-readiness across Africa E-readiness assessments conducted in Africa Creating a framework for analysing the issues and proposing country groupings Framework for analysing e-readiness policy issues Grouping countries according to level of e-readiness Applying the framework to an issue within the context of the country groupings Looking deeper at ICT-policy issues that apply to particular country groupings Next steps for the E-Readiness Policy Programme Concluding remarks...17 Annex 1: Non-governmental organizations dealing with ICT policy in African countries...18 Annex : Government institutions responsible for the ICT sector in African countries... Annex : Online policy newsletters, discussion lists, and information resources about Africa...40 Annex 4: Model ICT policy issue paper...46 Annex 5: Overview of economic situation and cost of telecommunications in African countries...49 Annex 6: Overview of e-readiness status in African countries...56

8 1 1 Introduction and background The countries of Africa face a diverse range of challenges and obstacles as they strive to develop their economies, decrease their dependence on the developed world, and ready themselves for participation in the global economy. Achieving e-readiness, and the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool for social and economic development, are key elements in these processes. The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) offers a vehicle for African leaders to drive the necessary changes, and within the NEPAD context the e-africa Commission has been tasked to deal with issues related to ICT. NEPAD has set a number of ambitious objectives for itself, including bridging the digital divide and developing the capacity to solve Africa's problems from within. Not only do Africa's leaders recognize the part that ICT can play in development, they also recognize that forming strategic partnerships with the public and private sector can contribute to their efforts. The Information Society Partnership for Africa's Development (ISPAD) will be a mechanism whereby the private sector and other actors can engage in the process. However, before anything can be achieved, there must be a clear understanding of where things stand now and what needs to be done, and a realistic timeframe for moving forward. Moreover, ground-level stakeholders must be included in policy-making processes at the outset, because their involvement and "buy-in" is critical to empower government to make and implement difficult, and at times conflicting, decisions. Changes of the magnitude required do not happen overnight, and all the partners in this process must work together and take a long-term view. 1.1 Overview of NEPAD, e-africa Commission, and ISPAD NEPAD The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a project of the Organisation for African Unity/African Union (OAU/AU) that was launched at the OAU/AU Summit in Lusaka, Zambia in July 001. It is a holistic, comprehensive, and integrated strategic framework for the socio-economic development of Africa. NEPAD's primary objective is to eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development to halt the marginalization of Africa in the globalization process. NEPAD is owned and led by African Heads of State, with five initiating governments driving the process: South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt. Implementation started with a meeting of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSIC) in Abuja, Nigeria on October 001. A declaration of main NEPAD principles was finalized, which sets out a vision for Africa, statement of the problems facing the continent, and programme of action to resolve these problems. The overarching plan for NEPAD is to (1) achieve the basic conditions needed for sustainable development to happen, especially in terms of peace, security and democracy; () establish priorities in a number of key sectors where change is needed, including infrastructure, human resource development, agriculture, environment, culture, and science and technology; and () mobilize the resources necessary to address the priorities, especially by improving capital flows and market access. NEPAD leaders designed a three-tier governing structure for the initiative. The HSIC is comprised of the Heads of State of 15 countries, three per AU region of North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa including the five initiating states. It meets three times per year, reports annually to the AU, and sets NEPAD policies and priorities. President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria currently serves as Chairperson. A Steering Committee is comprised of representatives of the five initiating Presidents; it develops the terms of reference for NEPAD programmes and projects, and oversees the Secretariat. The Secretariat is comprised of a small core staff located at the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) in Midrand, South Africa. It provides liaison and coordination, performs administrative and logistical functions, and out-sources NEPAD work to lead agencies. For full details of the declaration and other information about NEPAD, see and and

9 NEPAD leaders also established a number of Task Teams to develop specific, implementable projects and programmes in several priority areas that will be considered at the next HSIC meeting. Good governance political, economic and corporate was highlighted as a crucial focus area, and the creation of an African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is one of the first activities being driven by NEPAD. It will be an instrument to ensure that policies and practices of participating states conform to the agreed governance values, codes and standards; voluntary participation in the APRM is open to all OAU/AU Member countries. Other initial priority areas for NEPAD include: Capacity building on peace and security, Economic and corporate governance, Infrastructure, Central bank and financial standards, and Agriculture and market access. The e-africa Commission Bridging the digital divide was also highlighted as a focus area. ICT is seen as a factor that will affect many of the other activities because of its broad role in development and crosscutting impact on all aspects of human life. The e-africa Commission (the Commission) was launched on 14 September 00 as the NEPAD Task Team responsible for the ICT sector. Its mandate is to formulate a broad ICT strategy and action plan for NEPAD that will cover policy/legal/regulatory and infrastructure matters. Its key objectives are to accelerate the development of African connectivity and promote conditions for Africa to be an equal and active participant in the Global Information Society. Its work is expected to get underway in early 00. The e-africa Commission is comprised of an Executive Committee led by Chairperson, President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali and Deputy Chairperson, Dr. Henry Chasia of Kenya and a number of Ex-Officio Members including HSIC Ministers responsible for ICT, and representatives of OAU/AU specialized institutions, and regional economic communities. Its role is to identify, develop and decide on programmes and projects, and maintain a network of partnerships. It meets twice a year. President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal is also the Honorary Chairperson. A Commission Secretariat will be based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa to support the work of the Commission. The Executive Committee performs Commission tasks between meetings, including approving budgets, programmes, and work plans, appointing officials, and communicating with the NEPAD Steering Committee. It meets once every two months. A Programme Coordinating Committee oversees the implementation and monitoring of the Commissions work, makes proposals and recommendations to the Executive Committee and appoints senior personnel. Lyndall Shope-Mafole of South Africa leads the focus area on e-policies, e-strategies and global ICT governance. Other focus areas of the Commission include: ISPAD ICT infrastructure development, Human development (e-schools, e-health, skills training), Business development and entrepreneurship, Special programmes (least developed countries, women, youth), Local content, Internet and software development, e-applications (e-government, e-commerce, e-tourism), Institution development, research and space, and Public e-awareness. The Information Society Partnership for Africa's Development (ISPAD) is intended to be the mechanism through which the private sector and other actors can engage in the work of the e-africa Commission. It has not been launched yet, but is expected to get underway during the first half of 00. ISPAD will convene a workshop bringing together key public and private sector stakeholders to plan a strategy for working in partnership. ISPAD will meet at least twice annually.

10 1. Overview of the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme During the second half of 001, the World Economic Forum Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) led a discussion on e-readiness policy within the context of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The result was a consultative report on e-readiness policy in SADC authored by bridges.org and entitled Better, Faster, Cheaper: Developing and Leveraging World Class ICT Networks for Social and Economic Advancement, which was delivered to the World Economic Forum s Annual Meeting in January 00. The South African Government considered the report to represent "an African definition of the digital opportunity, and an African approach to e-strategies". The report focused on SADC policies and recommendations, but used a methodology that could be customized to reflect the realities of other areas. It also noted the need to extend the thinking on e- readiness to address issues that affect the whole African continent. Since then, the World Economic Forum and its members have held numerous discussions with the NEPAD Secretariat and the e-africa Commission about how to take the work forward in a way that would augment and complement NEPAD efforts and help to address technology-related policy issues within the context of broader development activities. The World Economic Forum-NEPAD E- Readiness Policy Programme is the result. Bridges.org undertook work on the Programme in September 00 in partnership with the World Economic Forum, NEPAD, and the e-africa Commission. World Economic Forum member companies Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft helped launch a coalition of supporters by providing the seed funding for the Programme. The goal of the Programme is to help African countries develop e-readiness policies and remove or reduce the policy obstacles that limit the use of ICT throughout the region. The key objectives of this programme of work are to:? Support the NEPAD Secretariat, the e-africa Commission and ISPAD,? Assess the current status of ICT-related policies in Africa, 4? Facilitate a dialogue and raise awareness among key stakeholders,? Produce recommendations to guide policy work, and? Build local capacity for ICT policy-making. The lessons learned and recommendations made in January 00 are still valid now, but are all the more appropriate given the message that NEPAD leaders are sending to the rest of the world about Africa's desire to drive internal change. The World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme builds on the previous work of the World Economic Forum Global Digital Divide Initiative (GDDI) and the initial steps of the e-africa Commission in this area. It is intended as the first stage in a broader process to advance ICT policy and decision-making across Africa by building partnerships, helping to establish priorities, identifying stakeholders and, perhaps most importantly, informing policy processes. The 1-month programme of work has been broken into four stages, each covering an approximate three-month period: Stage 1: laying the foundation Stages : expansion and consolidation Stages -4: ensuring sustainability and continued growth Each stage has identifiable activities and deliverables such as reports, briefings and workshops but the stages are intended to build upon each other. Publications produced as part of this Programme will be distributed to all NEPAD countries and will be available as open content on the bridges.org website; they will also be offered for publication on the World Economic Forum and e- Africa Commission websites. It is intended that all activities and deliverables will be conducted in This report assumes a basic understanding of the issues and terminology used in the field of e-readiness. Concepts will be briefly explained, but for further definitions and details, see bridges.org at 4 There are 54 independent countries on the African continent, and for the sake of completeness they are all included in this report. Morocco and Madagascar are not currently members of NEPAD, but negotiations are underway with Madagascar on membership. Madagascar is a member of the African Union, and therefore a potential member of NEPAD, while Morocco is not a member of the Union at this time.

11 4 cooperation with, and published under the auspices of, all current and future members of the partnership. Stage 1: Laying the foundation This report describes the activities conducted in the first stage of the Programme, which bridges.org has led during September-December 00. Key activities included:? Establishing collaboration with the e-africa Commission,? Identifying key actors and mechanisms to engage them,? Collecting information on basic e-readiness in African countries,? Creating a framework for examining the issues, and? Proposing country groupings according to e-readiness levels. It was the intention of the initial partners and funders that the first stage of the Programme should represent more than just the drafting of a paper that would serve no further purpose. Therefore, the information set out in this report is intended as a foundation for the remaining programme of work, aiming to "kick-start" a longer process with broader vision and even greater results. The report describes the efforts so far to build a relationship with the e-africa Commission. It offers tools that can be used to develop partnerships and collaboration among government, private sector and civil society stakeholders as part of an inclusive participatory process. And it sets out a framework upon which a strategy could be built for achieving e-readiness across Africa in small, achievable steps. Finally, it represents an update on progress to inform and seek input from World Economic Forum members, the e-africa Commission, and the coalition of initial funders, with an eye toward building on the initial investment in the work and consolidating support for the remainder of the Programme. Stage : Expansion and consolidation The E-Readiness Policy Programme is intended to be an inclusive dynamic process that will produce concrete outputs and evolve over the subsequent nine-month period. The second stage of the programme will:? Build on the work done and progress achieved in Stage 1 to maximize collaboration,? Extend the dialogue between stakeholders on issues and solutions,? Increase awareness around NEPAD activities and ICT-related issues,? Facilitate partnership in problem-solving, and? Consolidate the work with a stakeholder workshop. Stages -4: Ensuring sustainability and continued growth The focus in these stages will be to:? Produce outputs derived from the programme and from collaborative process learning,? Build African capacity for dealing with ICT-related policy issues, and? Build collaborative capacity between the partners and stakeholders so they can work effectively together in the long-term. Establishing collaboration with the e-africa Commission Gaining the full support of the e-africa Commission is essential to the success of the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme. The Commission is invited to participate as a full collaborating partner on the initiative, to shape the work and use the outcomes. Bridges.org and World Economic Forum officials have met with Dr. Henry Chasia and Lyndall Shope-Mafole of the e-africa Commission on several occasions to discuss the Programme. The objectives of these meetings were to:? Formalize the partnership between the World Economic Forum and its members, bridges.org, and the e-africa Commission, and agree on how to move forward together,

12 5? Learn about progress with NEPAD, ISPAD, and the work of the e-africa Commission, and? Ensure that the proposed activities are in line with the objectives of the e-africa Commission, and get formal agreement on outputs and timelines. The e-africa Commission has indicated that it is supportive of the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E- Readiness Policy Programme overall, and expressed a willingness to engage in the Programme once it has formalized its own structures and strategies during the coming months. The Commission also invited World Economic Forum members and other private sector and civil society actors to participate in the ISPAD activities to be launched during 00. It was agreed that future meetings, conference calls and other interactions would take place at regular intervals. E-readiness on the Commission's agenda. On 0 September 00 Dr. Henry Chasia gave a presentation to members of the United Nations ICT Task Force (UN ICTTF) on the plans for the e- Africa Commission. 5 He described the work proposed under the e-policies and strategies focus area, noting that e-readiness issues would also be covered. The development of new strategies is seen as essential to accelerate the extension of ICT infrastructure at an affordable cost, and to promote the use of ICT in government, the private sector, education, healthcare and agriculture. Dr. Chasia explained that to achieve its objectives, the Commission would build a partnership drawn from government, business, and civil society in Africa and abroad, which will form the basis for ISPAD. At the end of October, Dr. Chasia gave one of the opening addresses at the e-africa e-government conference in Johannesburg, in which he described the E-Readiness Policy Programme and the part it would play in achieving NEPAD's goals. He made particular reference to bridges.org and the World Economic Forum, acknowledging the part that both had played in informing people about e-readiness policy in SADC and stating that the Commission intends to build on the World Economic Forum- SADC report. Identifying key actors and mechanisms to engage them It is no coincidence that the word "partnership" features in the title of NEPAD and ISPAD: the African leaders who are driving NEPAD development recognize the role that partnership must play to help them achieve their goals. It is important for governments to champion causes and set examples, but ground level implementation and system-wide change can only be brought about by involving a wide and diverse group of stakeholders including all levels of government, the private sector, academia, pan-african bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations (CSOs). An inclusive process will help build public trust in NEPAD activities, increase transparency, and create a network effect in enthusiasm for change.? Bridges.org has identified some of the leading organizations across Africa that deal with ICTrelated policy issues, which the e-africa Commission and ISPAD should consider involving in their activities. Annex 1 is a list of the organizations that describes the main focus and activities of each, and provides contact information. Annex is a list of national government agencies that lead on ICT issues in each African country. To effectively involve stakeholders, NEPAD and the national governments must have useful mechanisms to inform the key actors and the general public about what they are doing, in order to increase awareness of and support for ICT strategies and activities. Online news and discussion lists can serve as a tool for collaboration and informing a wide range of stakeholders about the issues and NEPAD/Commission/ISPAD activities. They could also help the Commission and ISPAD build a dialogue with stakeholders around ICT-related policy issues. Existing online news and discussion mechanisms may serve the purpose, or it may be necessary to create a new list to do the job. The 5 The full text of Dr. Chasia's presentation to the UNICTTF can be found at

13 6 media too has a part to play in this process, and should also be considered a mechanism for engaging stakeholders. Too often the public is not informed about e-readiness initiatives and changes to ICT-related policy and legislation. Even where the public is informed about activities in this area, the message that is delivered is rarely communicated in a way that people can readily understand. Explaining government strategies in layman's terms can have a powerful effect that will raise public awareness and garner support for ICT initiatives.? An inventory of leading online news and discussion lists dealing with African ICT issues in included as Annex. Bridges.org has begun to monitor and participate in the lists, to gain a sense of which one might best serve the needs of the Commission and ISPAD for informing and engaging key stakeholders in the most effective ways. In order for this Programme to gain the active participation of key actors, it is important to invest in relationships and convey a sense of ownership among stakeholders. Since September 00, bridges.org has taken every opportunity to inform government representatives, policy-makers, and stakeholders from across Africa about the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme and planned activities for 00. The objective was to inform others about the Programme, obtain views and input from African stakeholders, and begin to establish a group of key actors for future collaboration and consultation.? Bridges.org represented the Programme at the e-africa Conference on e-government in Johannesburg on 8-1 October 00, 6 the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Ministerial meeting on NEPAD in Johannesburg on 16-1 October 00, 7 and the UNECA workshop on ICT Policy and Civil Society in Africa held in Addis Ababa on 6-10 November Discussions were held with representatives from a number of NEPAD countries who indicated an interest in working with the Programme, including notably Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Egypt, Cameroon, Senegal, and Nigeria. Bridges.org also discussed the Programme with the Telecom Africa Corporation and Africa Connection, which indicated their support. E-readiness on the Civil Society agenda. On 6-10 November 00, a workshop on ICT Policy and Civil Society was organized by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and hosted by UNECA in Addis Ababa, at which representatives from African countries were present. A presentation on the World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Programme was given which provoked significant interest, and prompted questions from government representatives of Uganda, Zimbabwe, and other countries, as well as from the UNECA Secretariat. UNECA indicated its interest in participating in the Programme, particularly as it complements their programme to build capacity across Africa in this area. All of the civil society representatives at the meeting saw the Programme as an essential part of making the ICT policy processes in Africa more inclusive. 4 Collecting information on basic e-readiness in African countries The discussion of how best to harness the power of ICT for development is often framed in terms of "e-readiness", or how ready a country is to gain the benefits offered by ICT in terms of policy, infrastructure and ground-level initiatives. There is no uniform level of e-readiness or socio-economic development within NEPAD. Each NEPAD member state, and the continent as a whole, must take its own path towards e-readiness, and attempts to impose a single model would prove ineffective. It is important that the Commission and ISPAD have basic comparative information about e-readiness and other factors in NEPAD countries, so they can frame an effective dialogue on the issues. E-readiness strategies need to be tailor-made to address the unique local needs, priorities and ground-level realities reflected within each state and the broader regional goals. By looking at where their countries 6 Details on the e-africa Conference on e-government are available at 7 Details on the UNECA Ministerial meeting on NEPAD are available at 8 Details on the UNECA Civil Society workshop are available at

14 7 stand on a number of basic e-readiness indicators, African leaders can gain a realistic appreciation for what ICT can and cannot do for their countries, and plan effectively to achieve the greatest benefits in the context of their specific situation. This section describes the landscape of e-readiness across the African continent overall. More detailed information on the status of e-readiness within each African state is contained in Annex 6, including specific information for each country on policy, infrastructure, ground level initiatives, and e- readiness assessments. Annex 5 contains more detail on the economic situation in each country. The levels of each of these indicators are as varied and as rich as the pattern of cultures and languages that are found there. As are the solutions to the challenges that these countries face, including those posed by the digital divide. The overall objective of compiling this information was to lay a foundation for the E-Readiness Policy Programme to build on, and to inform the efforts of NEPAD and the Commission more generally. Throughout the life of the Programme stakeholders will be invited to review this and other information collected, and to provide updates and comments. Not only will stakeholder input verify the information collected, it can also serve as a first step toward the creation of a group dynamic among the engaged stakeholders and a sense of ownership over the Commission's efforts. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this report is accurate and up-to-date, information for many African countries is difficult to find and sources are often uncertain. Readers who find inaccuracies or omissions are invited to provide additional data so that this document can be updated. 4.1 Overview of basic e-readiness across Africa Policy environment overview There is unanimous agreement among Africa's leaders and pan-african structures on the benefits that ICT can bring and the impact it can have on a wide range of development issues. The ICT policy reform process has begun in almost all of the countries in Africa, but there is no uniform level of progress across the continent. The majority of countries, especially those with more developed economies, have embarked on programmes of telecommunications liberalization and deregulation to a greater or lesser degree. The African Information Society Initiative (AISI) and the National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI) initiatives promoted by UNECA have done much to inform the process and provide guidance and support. 9 But even where there has been progress towards liberalization, the level of regulatory influence has not kept pace with change and few of the telecommunications regulators in Africa are truly independent. Policy reforms to end fixed line telecommunications monopolies are advanced in a number of countries, and the rapid growth of mobile telecommunications across the continent, largely based on pay-as-you-go services, serves to drive change and increase the numbers of mobile operators. Civil war and unstable governments continue to inhibit progress in a several countries, notably Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Liberia. Annex 6 contains more detail on the state of ICT policy across the continent. Infrastructure development overview The state of infrastructure development across the continent varies widely from country to country. While telecommunications infrastructure plays a crucial part, it is equally important to have stable and developed infrastructure in the financial, transport and fiscal sectors, as well as effective power and water distribution. For some countries, provision of these more basic needs will remain a priority, and progress towards e-readiness is dependent on building stable infrastructure across these sectors. There remains an imbalance in the level of infrastructure rollout between urban and rural Africa, with rural locations suffering at the expense of urban development. While initiatives to rectify this imbalance are under way in many countries, more needs to be done to provide basic levels of service to rural communities. There are good examples of ICT being used in Africa to overcome the problems created by lack of infrastructure. For example, in Nigeria the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) has used radio to deliver information about agriculture and gender issues which have not only empowered women, but have also helped to introduce labour-saving technology, the use of solar 9 For an overview of the NICI initiatives in Africa, see and

15 8 power, and improved access to credit and insurance facilities. 10 Annex 6 contains more detail on the state of infrastructure across the continent. Ground-level projects overview There is an extensive and diverse range of ground level initiatives underway in Africa to promote and facilitate the use of ICT, funded by the public and private sectors. Projects to establish telecentres and ICT access points are underway in most countries, run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Leland programme, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and others. There also projects in many countries related to education and training, including the SchoolNet programme, Cisco's Networking Academies, which are intended to increase the number ICT skilled professionals across the continent, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) community based learning programme and their science and technology in education initiative. Policy development initiatives include the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) development support programme and IDRC's ACACIA policy advice programme. There are also numerous healthcare initiatives designed to demonstrate and evaluate the value of ICT in healthcare such as the HealthNet programme, which provides connections to health workers, and Satellife's evaluation of the use of handheld devices in healthcare programmes in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. More details on initiatives under way in each country are contained in Annex Economic overview The economic picture across the continent is widely varied. Real GDP growth rates in 001 ranged from +9.% in Mozambique to -6.% in Zimbabwe, GDP per capita in US Dollars ranged from $10,800 in Mauritius to $500 in Sierra Leone, and inflation rates ranged from 110% in Angola to 1% in Morocco. The World Bank estimated that in 000 the gross income per capita for sub-saharan Africa was $470. Levels of population living below the poverty line ranged from 86.6% in Zambia to 6% in Tunisia (statistics for all countries were not available, and many were from earlier years, but the general comparison is valid). However, there is also evidence of growth in the e-commerce sector, notably in South Africa, which is forecast to generate $ 0.5 billion worth of business in 00 and to grow to $ 6.1 billion by 006. But if this level of growth is extrapolated for Africa as a whole, then Africa's share of global e-commerce in 006 would only be 0.05% of the world's total. The cost of basic telephony and Internet connections remains disproportionately high across the continent, and this serves as an obstacle to economic growth. At present it is impossible for the vast majority of Africa's population to pay even basic access costs. 1 A detailed overview of the current economic situation in Africa is at Annex E-readiness assessments conducted in Africa Information on the status of e-readiness and other socio-economic factors can help governments plan effective ICT strategies to bring the greatest economic and social benefits to their countries, and e- readiness assessment can be a useful tool if used wisely. However in Africa, e-readiness assessment is not used effectively overall. 1 In Africa, many of the most developed countries have been assessed repeatedly: 18 have been assessed at least times, including Egypt, assessed 9 times, and South 10 For more information on WOFAN, see 11 This information is not exhaustive, and represents only the better-known programmes. Many other valuable programmes are being carried out all over the continent, and their exclusion from this report has no significance. While any initiative that facilitates the use of ICT and fosters socio-economic development is to be welcomed, it is also apparent that many of these initiatives are duplicative, and that many fall short of their goals. More needs to be done to co-ordinate activities and make better use of scarce development resources. And development agencies, donors and others must be encouraged to report to the public on their activities and to tell the story about their successes and failures so that ground level initiatives can learn from the lessons of others. 1 E-Commerce and Development Report 00, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 1 Bridges.org compiles information on the e-readiness assessments conducted in developing countries by tracking the major international assessment initiatives and inviting national and other programmes to submit information about their assessment activities. See E-readiness Assessments: Survey of Who is Doing What and Where, bridges.org, updated 4 March 00,

16 9 Africa, assessed 7 times. 14 While it is true that e-readiness assessment is most effective if comparative data is collected over time and milestones are reviewed, this is seldom the reason for the duplication of assessments in these African countries. Different groups using different assessment tools and criteria have conducted most of them, so the results are rarely comparable. Moreover, few of these reports are publicly available, and there is often little or no follow-up. And many of the results have limited usefulness because the assessments collected information through short summary questionnaires or present statistical data that is not thoroughly explained. Yet at the same time the least developed countries, which stand the most to gain from an assessment, are rarely assessed: of the 54 countries had never been assessed for e-readiness at all. The fact that 4% of Africa's countries have never been assessed means that those facing the most severe problems also do not have access to some of the key tools for comparison that might help them put ICT to work in their countries. These problems were highlighted in the World Economic Forum-SADC report, but new assessments continue to be carried out in countries that have already been assessed. Since January 00, 6 of the 14 countries that had already been assessed have been assessed again. Of the 6 SADC countries that had not been assessed in December 001, none have been assessed since. Assessments are time-consuming and expensive to carry out, and scarce resources must be better managed. If NEPAD is going to make a concerted effort in the e-readiness area, it should start by seeing to it that the results of e-readiness assessments already completed are put to better use and not duplicated, and that resources are directed toward those countries that have never been assessed. 5 Creating a framework for analysing the issues and proposing country groupings Within Africa there is a wide range of issues to be addressed, and few countries are at the same stage of development, let alone the same level of e-readiness. NEPAD stresses the need for appropriate policies that take into account the diversity of Africa s economies and their varying levels of development. It is unlikely that universal strategies can be designed that would be applicable or acceptable to all countries, yet if progress is to be made some common ground must be reached on how to approach the range of problems. A framework for analysing ICT policy issues that allows for varying levels of e-readiness would be useful to the e-africa Commission as it helps different African countries frame appropriate steps for ICT development. Moreover, dividing the African countries into groupings according to their differing levels of e-readiness and the various internal and external challenges they face would also prove useful for making appropriate recommendations to groups of countries that must address similar problems and issues. This would help the e-african Commission develop broad solutions that could then be adapted for local conditions and requirements. This section sets out a framework that could be used for analysing e-readiness issues, and proposes groupings for the African countries according to their level of e-readiness. It then provides two examples of how the framework and the groupings could be used by the Commission, ISPAD, and others to examine ICT policy issues, raise awareness, and build a dialogue. First, the framework template is used to examine a relevant e-readiness policy issue and the different approaches that are needed across the groupings. Then, one issue that is characteristic of the kinds of issues affecting a particular country grouping is examined in more detail. 5.1 Framework for analysing e-readiness policy issues The framework for the analysis of e-readiness policy issues first presented in the World Economic Forum-SADC report has been used as the basis for examining key issues with an African perspective and drawing comparisons between NEPAD countries. This template can help policy-makers and stakeholders frame a dialogue on issues that apply to groups of countries at comparative levels, so 14 Algeria, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mauritius and Tunisia have been assessed for e-readiness 4 times. Of the remaining African countries that have been assessed, 11 countries have been assessed times, 4 twice, and 9 once.