Bringing ICTs for rural African community development

MUCH has been done by the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in societies and internet has played a crucial role in bridging the knowledge gap between societies. Notwithstanding issues of access for the internet to truly be a tool for knowledge building. It will need further adaptation in order to meet the need of the so-called the information poor. In order to build a sustainable and inclusive information society in Africa, ICT innovations and research are of particular importance as they could have revolutionary impact on currently under serviced and marginalized groups. The basic role of African media is to report on these innovations and research activities and disseminate the results so as to create awareness and stimulate debate on their impact on societal development. Despite current developments with increased coverage in urban areas and along several main highways in most countries in Sub-Saharan regions, still the majority of its people in rural areas will for the foreseeable future be without reachable and reliable ICT connections and services if governments would not take serious steps for development.
There is conception that the risk of establishing viable ICTs such as mobile telecommunication in rural areas in Africa is too high. But despite of this, the point to be noted is that ICT can play a pivotal role in reducing the state of poverty of the marginalized groups in rural communities. To achieve reliable communication networks, some people have regularly or often preferred mobile phones even in areas where there is no connection. Lack of means of communication in rural communities results in several major setbacks if there is no coordination between middlemen and farmers who solely depend on information for price setups or properly organized marketing systems.
It is important to realize that, the internet represents an instant economic device of knowing what the market price for commodities such as cash crops is for businessmen and women in various corners of the world. But since it is so expensive for rural areas, its accessibility is also low.
Despite the fact that, the internet is used as a means of delivering agricultural information to farmers in rural communities, but there is increasing evidence that the technology is still beyond the reach of many farmers. Studies shows that, rural farmers do not have direct access to the internet in rural areas pending on a number of factors. The basic ones being the increased computer illiteracy among users and an unreliable infrastructure such as electricity. In view of these two common factors, it’s therefore the government’s responsibilities to remove barriers of information access to ensure that special attention is given to the rural people where agriculture is still their main economic activity.
It is also worth noting that the communication environment means more than just telephones. Without basic infrastructure such as readily available power, roads and transport phones are hardly likely to bring down the expected benefits. Out of the available ICTs which are usable as new media facilities, the application of mobile telephony is able to improve and enhance communications for the rural people in Africa.
This can support participatory development as well as allow the voices of the people to be heard through a range of options that can be operated individually or within small networks not requiring elaborate infrastructure. The development of rural telephony is an important issue not only for big investors but also for farmers and fishermen because communication is central to development. But in order to achieve this, stable energy is needed to support the operation of mobile towers.
Tanzanian government has underscored the need for making ICTs that is gender sensitive and more accessible to the common people throughout Africa. According to the Ministry for Communication and Technology in the country, in order for ICT to foster the attainment of the development goals, ICT tools must be employed effectively and relevantly. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) has made great strides in upgrading rural communities by helping the establishments of rural ICT projects in the country. The main objective of these projects is to utilize ICTs for enhancing local good governance and indirectly catalyzing community development. To mention a few, Lunga-Lugoba is one of the villages in the country identified by the COSTECH as the site of a pilot project which seeks to introduce ICTs at the grassroots in the country. The village is situated by the roadside some 120 Kms away from the Dar es Salaam commercial city of Tanzania and has the basic power and telecommunication infrastructure for ICT application. The ICT services provided at the Lunga-Lugoda village includes, emails, internet surfing, ICT training, secretarial services, and local database creation for health and educational purposes. For minimal cost to villagers, they can now utilize the internet for communication purposes and access to knowledge. The idea is to make this as a model and once is successful, similar Tele-centers will be established to minimize the gap between rural and urban on the use of ICT facilities. Ultimately projects like these ones contribute to the overall social-economic development and poverty alleviation initiatives in Tanzania.