Unbounded Possibilities: Observations on Sustaining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa

This 23-page report, published by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), consists of two case studies of telecentres in Tanzania - one that engenders the idea of enterprises "bubbling up" given the right environment, and the other modelled more on the approach championed by economist Jeffrey Sachs, who contends that economically poor communities require a "'big push", i.e. big projects and big changes. The author argues that both approaches are valuable, although the "bubbling up" approach could lead to more sustainable rural information and communication technology (ICT) development.

The first case study looks at the Family Alliance for Development and Cooperation (FADECO), a small association based in a small town close to the Burundi and Uganda borders that works to provide information resources that help families improve their living standards. Via various small grants, the organisation set up a small telecentre with a wirelesss network. The centre came about mainly through trial and error experimentation of a self-taught technologist, and receives no third-party funds. The author notes several key observations about this case study: the process of learning by doing without active assistance led to a deeper understanding and self-sufficiency; ICT sites that have readily available technical support should adopt new systems only at a pace at which their staff can competently learn how to use them; the need to localise expertise and provision for local repairs within local means becomes more necessary with increasing distance from major urban centres; and commercial-grade wireless systems are often cheaper once training and long-term support is factored into total costs because of the inaccessibility and lack of local resources.

The second case study looks at Sengerema, a donor-led rural telecentre in northeastern Tanzania housed in a purpose-built building that boasts a conference room, a server room, an e-training lab, an internet cafe, offices, and a learning room. While it is, according to the author, sustainable in general terms, it still relies on continuous third-party funding. The report discusses the following key observations: a telecentre may not be financially self-sufficient but may be sustained by its stakeholder groups because of its social benefits; strong local leadership and the inclusion of local stakeholder groups can successfully lead to ownership and responsibility by local stakeholders; telecenters can become knowledge service centres that add tremendous value to local economies, act as catalysts for the creation of a micro-knowledge sector, and provide higher-value work for educated local workers; and providing access to information-based services will gradually increase demand as users begin to appreciate their value and become more willing to pay full costs.

The report concludes that, although both case models are valuable, the FADECO entrepreneurial approach has the potential to be vastly more scalable. However, there has been little emphasis on the economic design of this type of telecentre. The development of institutions to support such enterprises could lead to much better, more truly sustainable, rural ICT development.