Human capital development was the central theme around which the conversation about sourcing, building and retaining the necessary skills force for a robust ICT industry in Africa evolved.
The discussion opened with a case study presented by Lic Luis J Guzman from the Cuban University of Informatic Science highlighting the success factors pertaining to the universities unconventional approach to educating students.
To facilitate the development of ICT skills, the Cuban government established the University of Informatic Sciences in just seven months. The university focuses on an integrated model paying equal attention to developing skills in software development, training and research.
Empowering women was another prominent discussion topic. Nidhi Tandon, gender consultant, shared her knowledge of creating ICT opportunities for a new generation of women. Trends in developing nations indicate that female entrepreneurs are often underwriting the investment cost for grass-root businesses. According to Tandon, connected and empowered women are change agents with a clear understanding of the role ICT plays in access, affordability and rural reach to advocate developmental issues in informal communities.
Governments need to pay more attention to building resilient ‘Smart’ communities that effectively utilises technology.
The session was concluded by Dr Jun Xia discussing the Chinese perspective for advancing rural development through ICTs. More than half of the Chinese population lives in rural areas and a salient rural-urban indicates that urban dwellers possess three times the spending power of rural dwellers.
The Chinese government launched a number of Village Access Projects (VIP’s) to expose ICT to rural communities. The first iteration ensured that all villagers received telephone access, second broadband.
For Africa to join the ranks of developed countries a geo-political shift in power needs to take place. Policy formulation is no longer a top-down process and governments need to pay more attention to building resilient ‘Smart’ communities that effectively utilises technology.
– By Lianca van der Merwe
