AbstractsComputer Science

The appropriateness of information technology development in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Johan Lode Karel Robert Maria Rubens




Institution: University of South Africa
Department:
Year: 0
Keywords: Information technology development; Digital divide; African cyberspace; School internet learning centre; Silicon Valley development; Educational technology  – Africa, Sub-Saharan; Information technology  – Africa, Sub-Saharan; Sub-Saharan Africa; Internet; Computer; Organisation; Appropriate development; Uganda
Record ID: 1465811
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10500/613


Abstract

Many development organisations are initiating programs in Sub-Saharan Africa bringing information technology to community centres, schools, universities, and government institutions. In the United States and more particularly Silicon Valley, California, people are convinced of the benefits of the Internet. An organisation started in this context, Schools Online, has initiated programs in over 31 countries and spent millions of dollars in the South. The study focuses on Schools Online's history, structure, and vision while researching its activities in a rural school in the town of Jinja, Uganda, in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is recommended that Schools Online listens and learns from its beneficiaries when planning an information technology project.