دانلود رایگان مقاله دستور کار جهانی و ICT4D در آفریقا: محدودیت های بومی سازی، هنجار جهانی

abstract

In 1996, as part of the global ICT for development phenomenon, the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI) was launched as the action framework for the building of ICT infrastructure in Africa. Its goals included the digital connection of every African village to the global information network by the year 2010, and the leapfrogging of Africa's development through ICTs. Over a decade after the enactment of the AISI, many villages are still without electricity, and lack access to Internet services and other core ICTs. Based on the data gathered from qualitative semi-structured interviews and secondary sources, this paper analyzes the challenges and obstacles that have confronted the AISI implementation and ICT4D agenda in Africa. It examines the implication of these challenges and potential ways of addressing them.

6. Discussion

Behind the institutional and socio-economic barriers that confronted the AISI implementation are the political realities that diverged from the unrealistic expectations of development leapfrogging through the national ICT4D plans. Although the economic globalization and market power of multinational corporations pose significant challenges to the economic autonomy of nation-states at some levels, nation-states are still considered the primary decision-makers within their respective geographical boundaries (Flew & Waisbord, 2015; Krasner, 2001). Therefore, amidst the dominant forces of globalization and pressure from the international donors for conformity to the international norms, nation-states have not fully lost their territorial power of sovereignty. To this end, nation-states cannot be coerced to act or implement the AISI against their national interests. More so, the fact that the AISI is a non-binding regional agreement means that there is no bilateral or multilateral sanction for the nation-states’ non-action on the national ICT plans. In addition, the international donordriven ICT policy interventions are not sufficient to achieve the goals for ICT4D in Africa.