1. ICT Policies & Strategies
Formulation and
Development in Africa
Alain Nkoyock,
Addis Ababa, 1st October 2005
1
2. Why ICT for Development?
• ICTs are an important enabler of growth
through the wealth creation, increased
productivity and the creation of opportunities;
• In the information society where progress and
power depends on information and
knowledge, the role of ICT becomes even
more critical;
• ICTs contribute immensely by providing
efficiency gains and increased productivity by
tackling the barriers of cost, time and
distance.
2
3. ICT as an enabler of development
• ICTs in the fight against poverty
• ICTs for socio-economic development
• ICTs for Industry
• ICTs for better government
• ICTs for Regional Integration
• ICTs for local and community development
• ICTs for greater access to information about
livelihoods
• ICTs for crisis prevention and recovery
3
4. The Starting Point
• ICT is good for social/economic development
• There is a growing digital divide
• There is an untapped ICT market in
developing countries
4
5. ICT: A Cross-Cutting Theme
• Interrelation of many social, societal and organizational problems, in
the information age,
• Need to be solved jointly by means of multidisciplinary projects,
interdisciplinary communications and/or trans-disciplinary concepts
and methodologies
• Informatics, Cybernetics and Cyber-Technologies (ICCT) are, by
definition and by nature, transversal to many disciplines and, as such,
are special means for the multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary
approaches required
• ICCT are helping in the solutions of an increasing social, societal and
organizational problems, but they are also generating new kind of
problems and raising unfamiliar questions
• The processes of answering these questions and finding possible
solutions to these kinds of problems require as much as of
scientific/engineering approaches, as of conceptual/reflexive studies
5
6. The Need of ICT Policy
• Most countries therefore develop national ICT policies in recognition of
the enormous potential of ICT.
• To avoid being left behind, several nations develop such ICT policies
addressing several core issues for keying into the benefits of an ICT–
driven world.
• The aim is to be a creator, a producer and not a consumer or mere
passenger.
• It is usually a proactive indication of the seriousness government
attaches to the role of ICT in society.
• A national ICT policy can be seen as an attempt to develop a pro-
people ICT road map of the country.
• Lack of a coherent and comprehensive policy often leads to
redundancy, waste of resources, ineffective ICT diffusion and
development and an inability to tap into global opportunities.
6
7. What is National ICT Policy?
• Help guide the country in its use of these tools
and to help secure the benefits of the information
economy for all
• National decisions that need to be taken based
on the best information and intelligence available
and in consultation with stakeholders to help
secure beneficial and realistic outcomes from the
considered use of ICTs for all citizens
• Need to be planned in order to marry the
opportunities and needs of people with the
possibilities that are available through the use of
ICTs. 7
8. Contrasting ICT Policy Issues
• The Developing • The developed World:
World: – Electronic Commerce
– Alleviating Poverty – Universal Service
– Health – Electronic Gambling
– Education – Technology Neutral
– The Cost of Telephone Taxation
Calls – Privacy of the Individual
– The Banking System
– Physical Logistics
8
9. E-Strategies Definition
• Plans based on the selection of scenarios and
options for applying ICT to national
development
• Apply specifically to the following sectors: e-
commerce, e-government, e-learning, e-
health, etc.
• Are defined in terms of development objectives
and outcomes
• Need to be consistent with national poverty
reduction strategies as well national
development strategies and initiatives.
9
10. E-Strategies Formulation Areas
• E-strategies for Infrastructure Development
• E-strategies for Human Capacity Development
• E-strategies for Policy Development
• E-strategies for Enterprise Development
• Building the capacity of Small, medium and micro
enterprises (SMMEs) to use ICTs
• The importance of the national e-strategy agenda
• Developing action plans
• Some tools for identifying priorities for ICT policy
development (OOPP, UML, etc)
10
11. ICT, ECA & AISI: Historical Steps
• PADIS (Pan African Development Information System):
1979 -> Objective: Establishment of a centralized
development information Db at ECA (AA) with national
development information Dbs at national participating
centres in Africa countries
• CABECA (Capacity Building for Electronic
Communication in Africa: 1992 -> Objective:
Establishment of electronic communication nodes in 24
African countries.
• AISI (African Information Society Initiative): 1996 ->
Development of National Information and
Communications Infrastructure (NICI) in Africa (among
others).
11
12. What is AISI?
– An Action Framework to Build Africa's
Information and Communication Infrastructure
– Aims at supporting and accelerating socio-
economic development imperatives of African
countries
– Focuses on priority strategies, programmes
and projects (information networks, regional
databases, etc)
– Main e-strategies: NICI, RICI, SICI and VICI
12
13. What is an NICI Plan?
• An instrument to implement the global AISI visions
of developing the information infrastructure, human
resources and content at national level;
• An African response to facilitate the digital
inclusion of Africa and integration of the continent
into the globalization process;
• An exercise aiming at developing national ICT
policies, strategies and plans which serve as
roadmap for the countries participation in the
knowledge economy.
13
14. Aims of a NICI Plan
• Improve the nations Information and
communication infrastructure;
• Improve the nations ICT policies and regulatory
frameworks;
• Improve the nations Human resources;
• Improve the nations Infostructure.
14
18. Lessons learnt
• Long-term Vision
• - is absolutely Essential
• Short-term prioritization
• -(start small, scale fast)
• Human resource development
• - for all sectors of society
• Private-sector funding model
• -is not yet mature
• Donors need to fund
• -beyond “pilots”
18
19. Lessons Learnt
• Incoherence between NICI Plans - UNDAF &
PRSP
• ICT- led Development Vision Vs. MDG
• Projects identified in NEPAD STAP are those
identified by RECs
• Implementation phase awaited
• Many initiatives with mitigated results
19
20. AISI: ECA’s Subsidiary Bodies
• ATAC:
• PICTA:
• CODI:
• African Stakeholders Network (ASN) of the UN ICT Task
Force:
• African regional EPolNet Node:
– Launched in 2003 (CODI III);
– Mission: channel demand from African institutions and
individuals, such as policy experts, programme
managers and legislative drafters seeking e-strategy
expertise;
• GKP: Network of networks
– 2002: GKP annual meeting held in ECA
– Mission: develop GKP strategy for 2005: global and
regional networks and partnership mechanisms in Africa
20
21. What is RICI?
• A facility for harmonizing national strategies at the sub-
regional levels by RECs for consistency in regional
economic integration goals in the area of ICTs
• Allows for harmonization of national regulatory frameworks
as countries deregulate and liberalize their
telecommunication markets
• Provides a framework for the development of information
and communication infrastructure that can facilitate regional
economic integration goals of the African continent.
• Provides an impetus for strengthening capacity at the sub-
regional level in ICT for development and building a critical
mass to facilitate regional integration through ICTs
21
22. Benefits of RICI
• Policy and Regulatory Integration:
– The creation of regional strategies would enable Africa to build economy of scale for
developing its infrastructure and content and increase Africa's ability to negotiate
globally.
• Regulatory integration at the regional level:
– would create and strengthen the community/associations of regulators to facilitate
cross-boarder interaction, market enlargement and harmonization policies at the sub-
regional and regional levels.
• Strengthen regional institutions:
– to participate effectively in global ICT, as well as of decision-making bodies such as
ICANN, WTO, WIPO, ISOC etc.
• Infrastructure Development:
– This will include the setting up of sub-regional backbones, exchange and
interconnection points, with human resource development requirements.
• Mechanisms for sharing bandwidth within the sub-regions:
– should be looked into as part of the facilitation of sub-regional and regional
interconnectivity.
• Economic Policies:
– Establishing common tariffs for ICT products and services across borders as a key
component of the harmonization process at sub-regional and regional levels.
• Potential for cost sharing in executing joint projects at sub-regional and regional
levels:
– particularly the financing and strengthening of sub-regional and regional backbones
to enhance connectivity in the region.
22
23. ICT & RI: Old/New Initiatives…
ICT Policy Infrastructure/Connectivity
• RASCOM
• ECA: AISI/RICI Plan
(Regional Information & Communication
• PANAFTEL
Infrastructures) : • SAT3
- Etat des lieux des pays • COMTEL
- Stratégies & politiques réglementaires • AfricaONE
- Intégration technologique • FLAG
• AFRILINK
• NEPAD • African Satellite
(AFSAT)
• AU: Programme 18
• AFROSAT
• ARABSAT
• AMTT/IRD
• SHARE
23
24. Millenium ICT Goals & MDG
• Goal 1 Food security-related obj.
• Goals 2 e-Education
• Goals 3 Networking and Capacity B.
• Goals 4, 5, 6 e-Health
• Goal 7 Information for decision-
making –Geo Info.
• Goal 8 WSIS
24
25. COMESA/EAC: Institutional
Progress
• Common ICT Policy and Model Legislation
• Regional Association of ICT Regulators
(ARICREA)
• COMESA Telecoms Project (COMTEL) and
Institutional Mechanisms to achieve
Interconnectivity
• E-Commerce, Trade & Investment
25
26. COMTEL Project Summary
• COMTEL – First Pan-African Carriers’ Carrier Regional Terrestrial Fibre
Optic Cable Backbone Network
• COMTEL Project conceived by National Telecom Operators (NTOs)
and facilitated by COMESA to provide interconnectivity Services for 21
NTOs
• Signed Protocols and Agreements for the establishment of COMTEL
Investment Company (CIC) in 2000, a Private Limited Company as
the vehicle through which the NTOs shall collectively invest in COMTEL
Communications Company (CCC) and the commitment by NTOs and
Governments
• CIC in conjunction with the Strategic Equity Partner (SEP) and New
Investors, will fund and carry out the COMTEL Project
• NEPAD Priority Flagship Project in STAP, to attract Private Equity
Investment in ICT to underpin the African Continental Infrastructure gap
• Anderberg-Ericsson Consortium appointed by COMESA and NTOs
as the SEP to Fund, Construct, Manage and Operate COMTEL
Network for 10 years
26
27. COMTEL Project
SEAME 3/ FLAG
Cairo
Egypt
Abu Simbel
Dogola
Sudan Eritrea
Kasala Asmara
Khartoum
SEAME 3
Djibouti
FLAG
Djibouti
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Uganda
Kampala
D R Congo Kisum u
Tororo Kenya
Nairobi
Gom a Rwanda
Kigali
Bukavu
Bujumbura
Kinshasa Burundi Mombasa
Matadi Dodoma
Soyo Tanzania Dar es Salaam
SAT 3
Luanda Mbeya
Angola
Luau Lubumbashi
Malawi
Benguela Huambo
Ndola
Zambia Lilongwe Seychelles
Lusaka Blantyre Nacala
Namibe Comoros
Livingstone Harare
Zimbabwe
Botswana Bulawayo Beira
Namibia Madagascar
Beite Bridge Antananarivo
Comtel fibre Gaborone Mozambique
Windhoek
Comtel Microwave
Mababane
Non Comtel Maputo
Toliara
Swaziland
RSA
Lesotho Mauritius
SAT 3
SAFE 27
